Former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero allegedly received over €159,000 from Javier Romero, the owner of Chinalink and Hygreen Energy. These payments came to light through examination of private chats. Romero’s companies benefitted from a €12.6 million subsidy from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition. The funds raise questions about potential conflicts of interest given the government support received by Romero’s businesses while Zapatero was in office. Details of the transactions are emerging as part of an ongoing investigation. The payments are now subject to scrutiny from political opponents and media outlets. No immediate comment has been provided by Zapatero or Romero regarding the allegations.