Photos of Feijóo with Marcial Dorado from the 1990s become public

In early 2013, Spanish media published photographs of Alberto Núñez Feijóo with Marcial Dorado, a Galician businessman later convicted of crimes linked to smuggling and money laundering. The images dated from the 1990s, years before Feijóo became a leading figure in Spanish politics.

At the time of publication Feijóo was president of the Xunta, Galicia's regional government, and a prominent figure in the conservative Partido Popular. The pictures showed the two men together on a leisure trip at a time when Feijóo was a senior regional official, before Dorado's convictions. The revelation raised questions about the nature and length of their relationship.

Feijóo acknowledged that he had known Dorado and said he was unaware of his criminal activities when they met. The opposition and parts of the press kept pressing the matter, and the episode became a recurring point of attack in debates and interviews.

It mattered because it touched on his personal judgement and public image. The issue has resurfaced repeatedly as Feijóo moved to national leadership of his party, and it remains one of the best-known controversies in his career.