José María Aznar

Documents declassified in the United States in 2026 contain receipts for two shipments attributed to Jeffrey Epstein and addressed to José María Aznar: one to La Moncloa in September 2003 marked "Presidente y Ana Aznar", the other to the FAES foundation in May 2004. The contents of the parcels are not specified.

Attribution

Directly implicated

Documents seized during the Gürtel investigation showed that companies belonging to Francisco Correa had covered more than €32,000 in expenses relating to the 2002 wedding of Ana Aznar and Alejandro Agag; additional sound system costs were also subsequently documented. Correa was a wedding guest and close to Agag.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Revelations concerning the PP's accounts showed that Aznar had received regular supplementary payments, recorded in the official accounts as representation expenses, while he was party leader before taking office at La Moncloa. Documents attributed to Luis Bárcenas also fuelled allegations of unofficial cash payments to the PP leadership.

State of the evidence

Disputed

Attribution

Personally implicated

José María Aznar defended Spain's alignment with the United States and the United Kingdom before the invasion of Iraq, publicly asserting that Saddam Hussein's regime possessed weapons of mass destruction. Spanish intelligence documents subsequently made public showed that the CNI believed Iraq might retain certain capabilities or programmes, but did not confirm the definite existence of an operational arsenal as publicly presented.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

On the day of the 11 March 2004 attacks, Aznar personally called several newspaper editors, expressing his conviction that ETA was responsible, while evidence pointing towards Islamist perpetrators rapidly strengthened. During his subsequent parliamentary appearance, he continued to defend the government's handling of information and claimed to have ordered a second line of investigation to be opened, an account contradicted on certain points by testimony from police officials.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

The sinking of the Prestige and the resulting oil spill along the Galician coast caused a major crisis for the Aznar government. The executive faced criticism over its slow response, insufficient resources, reassuring statements rapidly contradicted by the spread of pollution and the decision to move the vessel away from the coast.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

The Aznar government adopted a reform of the unemployment protection system by decree despite trade union opposition. UGT and CCOO organised a general strike on 20 June 2002, with extensive participation in industry, transport and construction. After several months of industrial conflict, the executive repealed or amended much of the measures that had triggered the mobilisation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility