Agents from the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) of the National Police will request an expert jeweler to provide an “initial” valuation of the jewels found in the safe of former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s office during the search of the office last Tuesday, May 19, according to sources from the investigation confirmed to EL PAÍS. This is a preliminary analysis to determine if they have real value and, subsequently, the case will be referred to the National Court judge José Luis Calama to decide if a more thorough expert examination is necessary to quantify the value of the pieces.
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The circle around the former socialist president explained this Monday, once the information about the seizures made during the searches became known, that the jewels come from an inheritance from Zapatero’s mother, from the family of his wife, Sonsoles Espinosa, and from travels. They also pointed out that an expert had appraised their value between 30,000 and 50,000 euros. They also noted that the couple does not have a safe at their home, where they currently live renting and are pending a move, and that is why the pieces were in the office on Ferraz Street in Madrid.
The search report accessed by this newspaper detailed that the office had five offices, three empty rooms, two bathrooms, a rest office, and a meeting room. In the office used by the former leader was the safe where necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, watches, and hard drives were kept. Gertrudis Alcázar, Zapatero’s secretary, present during the search, told the UDEF that the jewels were an “inheritance from Mrs. Sonsoles” [Espinosa] and “gifts from travels.”
In the images that the UDEF included in the file, a set of three earrings, three rings, three bracelets, and three necklaces of the same style with a dark stone in the center and dozens of diamonds around it can be seen. In addition, there are some watches, earrings, and necklaces with white balls that may be pearls, some rings, etc. The agents requested access to the safe and, as they initially could not, they called the Technical Interventions Operational Group (GOIT), which is a police unit specialized in places of difficult access, searching and opening compartments, walls, floors, or safes. Finally, they did not have to intervene because the safe key was eventually provided.
The sources consulted explain that the best way to analyze the stones and the material found is with someone accustomed to working on it, such as a jeweler. And once it is known whether they are quality pieces, the judge can decide whether to proceed with a more complete expert examination.