India, June 18 -- Spain's former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is appearing before a judge in Madrid on Wednesday in connection to his alleged role in a Government airline bailout and links to jewelry discovered in a police raid on his office. It is Zapatero's first appearance before the National Court judge since he was placed under investigation last month for alleged influence peddling, money laundering and other possible financial wrongdoing in connection with the Spanish Government's rescue of the Plus Ultra airline.

Zapatero, 65, who was prime minister from 2004 to 2011, had been out of public office for a decade when Plus Ultra received 53 million euros ($61.5 million) in public money in 2021 from a COVID-19 recovery...