Internal emails recently uncovered in the ongoing Koldo corruption case have revealed a previously unknown meeting between former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and current Deputy Prime Minister María Jesús Montero. The encounter took place on July 7, 2021, in Montero’s office, just three days before Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez abruptly dismissed José Luis Ábalos from his position as Minister of Transport and Secretary of Organization of the Socialist Party (PSOE).
The meeting, which was not listed on any official agenda, was arranged discreetly through the offices of both figures. The timing of this interaction—occurring only 72 hours before the sudden removal of one of the government’s most powerful figures—has drawn significant attention from investigators and political observers. At the time, Ábalos’s departure was widely interpreted as a move by Sánchez to distance his administration from growing controversies surrounding his inner circle.
While the existence of the meeting is now confirmed by intercepted communications, its specific agenda remains a subject of intense speculation. The revelation adds a new layer to the broader Koldo case, which has already resulted in the conviction of Ábalos for corruption-related charges. As the National Court continues to examine the details of the scandal, the nature of the communication between high-ranking party officials and former leadership is being scrutinized for potential influence on government decisions.
For the public and political stakeholders, this discovery raises questions about the internal decision-making processes within the PSOE during that period. The lack of transparency regarding the meeting has prompted opposition parties to demand further explanations from Montero. As the legal proceedings evolve, the focus remains on whether this meeting was merely a routine consultation or a pivotal moment in the restructuring of the government’s leadership.