A judge at Spain’s National Court is investigating whether jewelry seized from former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was actually made in Saudi Arabia, as he has claimed. José Luis Calama has directed the National Police’s economic crime unit, the UDEF, to identify the maker associated with a stamp found on the pieces.
The jewelry was seized during a search of Zapatero’s office on May 19. In an order, Calama said the UDEF could seek help from Interpol and Europol if needed. He issued the request after receiving an expert assessment commissioned from jewelry firm Yanes.
The report valued the pieces at one million euros but said their identity and origin were difficult to trace because the available marks provided little information. It found the same stamp on all the jewelry, suggesting the pieces shared a source, but said the markings were not enough to determine where they came from.
The stamp is rectangular, with a capital “T” at its center, the number 18 on the left and a “K” on the right. The report said the 18K marking refers to the metal’s purity and that the maker may have a name beginning with T. Calama noted that the markings appeared inconsistent with identification standards in the European Economic Community, the United States and Arab countries.
Zapatero has said in a court filing that the jewelry was a gift from the king of Saudi Arabia in 2007, while he was prime minister. The report also noted that countries including Thailand, India, China, some Central Asian states and Turkey may have less stringent identification requirements for jewelry.
Calama continues to investigate Zapatero on suspicion of smuggling and tax fraud. The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has asked him to add a charge of embezzlement of public funds.
Sources: La Vanguardia.