Calama set out these decisions in an order issued on Monday. The judge informed Zapatero’s defense that, "within three days," it may provide "all documentation in its possession related to the jewelry" found in his office.
UDEF officers found the pieces during a search carried out on May 19 at the former prime minister’s office on Ferraz Street. In a safe, agents found necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings and watches, some made of white gold with diamonds, emeralds and sapphires.
Ansorena had already valued the pieces at 1.3 million euros, but the judge explains that the new expert report is a measure that "is relevant, useful and necessary to clarify the facts under investigation and determine the possible criminal relevance of the seized jewelry." The judge ordered the inquiry as part of a separate proceeding for "contraband" in the Plus Ultra case.
A "DETAILED" DESCRIPTION OF THE JEWELRY
Regarding the new analysis, the judge states that "the expert examination must be entrusted to specialists with appropriate technical knowledge of the subject under review" and explains that, "after considering various options," he chose Yanes, "a company with a long tradition in high-end Spanish jewelry." The experts will have access to the six gemological reports prepared in June by the Spanish Gemological Institute, "without prejudice to their ability to request new reports."
The order lists eight points that the report must address "to the extent technically possible." They include an "individualized and detailed description of each piece" and, if possible, the "identification of the geographical area where the most valuable jewelry was manufactured," as well as the precious metals used to make it.
Regarding the gems, the judge requests the "determination of their weight, purity, cut, quality and other relevant technical characteristics" and the "determination of the possible geographical origin of the gems." He also asks experts to check for "maker’s marks, official hallmarks, numbers, engravings or any other identifying element," as well as to establish the "approximate age of the pieces."
The new expert examination comes after the judge himself commissioned Ansorena jewelry store on June 3 to conduct a "preliminary analysis" of the jewelry seized from the former prime minister’s office. The report reached the court on June 11.
THE "COURTESY GIFT" MENTIONED BY ZAPATERO
Ansorena preliminarily valued the jewelry at 1.3 million euros, far more than the 30,000 to 50,000 euros estimated by people close to the former prime minister, including his spokesperson Luis Arroyo. That valuation led the judge to provisionally attribute tax and contraband offenses to Zapatero, as the origin of the pieces has not yet been established.
The former head of government appeared before Calama on June 17 and promised to clarify the origin of the jewelry within seven to ten days. Weeks later, during an interview on TVE, he described them as a "personal courtesy gift from many years ago," although he did not reveal which country or person had given them to him.
In July, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office asked Ansorena to complete its study to determine the pieces’ current market value and when they were assembled. The investigating judge has now opted to entrust the expert examination to another jewelry house. The order may be challenged through a motion for reconsideration within three days and an appeal within five.
