Former Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero on 24 September 2026 asked the investigating judge at the Audiencia Nacional, José Luis Calama, for the jeweller Yanes to be disqualified. Yanes had previously been appointed by the court to carry out a new, more detailed assessment of the jewellery seized at Zapatero’s office. The background is the investigation into the so-called Plus Ultra affair, in which the origin, age and value of the items are disputed.
The court order of 21 September 2026 calls for a gemmological examination and a current valuation. Calama also gave Zapatero a short deadline to submit additional documents on the origin of the jewellery. According to the defence, the valuation may have tax implications; the prosecution and tax authority are monitoring the matter.
Zapatero’s lawyers are basing their Recusación on doubts about impartiality: Yanes’s managing director has already commented in the media on the authenticity and possible value of the items. The defence argues that this could compromise the objectivity of the experts appointed by the firm, and is asking for the appointment to be revoked before a new report is prepared.
According to consistent media reports, the investigation file contains an earlier valuation putting the total value of the items at around 1.3 million euros. This provisional figure was one reason for the second assessment now ordered. The court must decide whether the alleged bias cited by Zapatero is based on specific statements or merely general public comments. No deadline or date for a decision on the bias challenge had initially been announced.
The case involves several competing interests: investigators are focused on establishing the origin and value of the items reliably. For the defence, the choice of experts is central, as the new report is likely to carry considerable weight in the proceedings. Public discussion of the values cited also increases pressure on all those involved to make the methodology behind the expert assessment transparent and verifiable.
What is established is that the Audiencia Nacional ordered a new assessment and that, on 24 September 2026, Yanes, the firm appointed by Judge Calama, was challenged. Any assessment of how long the proceedings will take or what the valuation will conclude would be speculative. The court will now decide whether the Recusación is admissible.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).