What is former Spanish PM Zapatero accused of?: Inside the Plus Ultra case
A judge from Spain’s High Court has lifted the seal on the investigation he has been leading for months with the Anti-Corruption Attorney General’s Office
Spain’s former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is under investigation in a corruption case being handled by Spain’s High Court, the Audiencia Nacional. The news made headlines on Tuesday and sparked reactions across the political spectrum. Here are the key questions about the investigation, which has been shrouded in secrecy for months.
What crimes is Zapatero accused of?
Zapatero is under investigation for influence peddling and related offenses in a probe into the alleged laundering of opaque funds from Venezuela, linked to the €53 million ($57.2 million) public bailout that the government granted to the airline Plus Ultra after the pandemic.
This marks the first time in Spain’s democratic era that a former prime minister has been investigated in a corruption case. Judge José Luis Calama describes Zapatero as the alleged leader of “a stable and hierarchical influence‑peddling structure” whose aim was “to obtain financial benefits by acting as an intermediary and exerting influence over public bodies on behalf of third parties, mainly Plus Ultra,” according to the High Court.
The judge estimates that Zapatero and people in his circle may have received €1.95 million ($2.11 million) in irregular commissions as part of the alleged scheme.
When will the former prime minister testify?
He is due to appear before Spain’s High Court on June 2 at 9:00 a.m. As he is under formal investigation, he must attend with a lawyer. Like any suspect, he has the right to remain silent or to answer only his defense lawyer’s questions.
Has Zapatero responded to the charges?
Yes, though not in court. On Tuesday, the former prime minister released a video saying he had received the High Court’s notification summoning him as a suspect. He expressed his willingness to “cooperate with the justice system” and insisted that “all” his public and private activity “has always been carried out with full respect for the law.”
“I have never owned a company, either directly or through third parties, in Spain or abroad, nor have I taken part in any such operation,” he stressed.
Back in March, Zapatero denied any wrongdoing related to the airline during a Senate inquiry into the so‑called Koldo case. He attended at the request of the conservative Popular Party (PP), which wanted to question him about his relationship with businessman Julio Martínez Martínez, who was already under investigation at the time.
“I have never received any commission from Plus Ultra,” he said. According to Zapatero, he was only engaged as a consultant for the firm Análisis Relevante and was unaware that the company also worked for the airline.
Did police search Zapatero’s office?
Yes. Acting on a judge’s orders, officers from Spain’s Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) searched the former prime minister’s office on Tuesday, located on Ferraz Street in Madrid.
They also searched the headquarters of his daughters’ marketing and communications agency, Whatthefav, as well as two other companies linked to the case. Zapatero acknowledged in the Senate that he introduced his daughters to Análisis Relevante so they could provide communications and marketing services.
What is being investigated in this case?
Judge José Luis Calama, who heads Investigative Court No. 4 at Spain’s National Court, is examining the alleged “misuse” of the €53 million bailout that the Spanish government granted in March 2021 to the Spanish‑Venezuelan airline Plus Ultra to cover pandemic‑related losses.
The judge is trying to determine whether the alleged network used shell companies, fabricated documents, and opaque financial channels “to exert illegal influence, conceal the origin and destination of the funds, and obtain financial benefits for both third parties and the network itself.”
When did the investigation begin?
The case dates back to 2024, when Spain’s Anti‑Corruption Attorney General’s Office received two international cooperation requests aimed at dismantling a “criminal organization” allegedly involved in laundering opaque funds from Venezuela.
Authorities in France and Switzerland requested searches of properties in Madrid, Tenerife, and Mallorca. According to documents seen by EL PAÍS, international investigators warned that Venezuelan public officials had illegally diverted “very large sums” to Europe. The funds allegedly came from government food programs (CLAP—Local Committees for Supply and Production) and gold sales. Investigators suspect the Plus Ultra bailout may have been used to help launder that money.
Before the High Court and anti‑corruption prosecutors took up the case, a Madrid court had already opened an investigation in 2021 into the airline’s bailout following a complaint by the group Manos Limpias. That case was later dropped due to a procedural error — the judge failed to extend the investigation deadline in time. Judge Calama later requested all the material gathered in that earlier case.
Who else is under investigation?
Following arrests carried out by the UDEF police unit on December 11, it remains unclear how many suspects are involved. Those known to be under investigation include:
- Julio Martínez Sola, chairman of Plus Ultra
- Roberto Roselli, the airline’s CEO
- Santiago Fernández Lena, the company’s lawyer
- Another Madrid‑based lawyer
- Luis Felipe Baca, a Peruvian banker
- Julio Martínez Martínez, an Alicante‑based businessman
- Former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Are companies also under investigation?
Yes. The main focus is on the consulting firm Análisis Relevante SL, whose sole director is Martínez Martínez. The judge says the company transferred €490,780 ($530,000) to Zapatero and €239,755 ($259,000) to Whathefav, the marketing and communications firm owned by Zapatero’s daughters.
According to the ruling, most of the funds received by Análisis Relevante— from Plus Ultra as well as Inteligencia Prospectiva, Softgestor, and Grupo Aldesa — ended up in the former prime minister’s circle.
The investigation also highlights the alleged use of shell companies such as Caletón Consultores and Summer Wind, which authorities say were used to route payments through intermediaries and front men, helping to obscure the origin and destination of the funds.
The judge is also looking into an offshore company in the United Arab Emirates that the network allegedly set up at Zapatero’s direction.
Who is Julio Martínez Martínez?
He is a businessman from the Spanish city of Alicante who, in addition to being the sole director of the consulting firm at the center of the case, is also a running partner and friend of Zapatero. He is listed as a director of another company that signed a contract with Plus Ultra to receive 1% of the bailout; this appears to be the same company linked to the Dubai offshore entity.
The former prime minister has not distanced himself from Martínez Martínez, although he said that, “as a precaution,” he has not been in contact with him since the businessman was arrested by police. “He is my friend, and I reiterate that he never asked me for anything improper,” Zapatero said during his appearance before the Senate, called at the request of the Popular Party, which sought to question him about his relationship with Martínez, who was already under investigation in the Plus Ultra case at the time.
What happens next?
Judge Calama and prosecutors will continue investigating the alleged corruption network. Until now, the case had been under seal. However, it has now emerged that the judge has decided to lift that seal, meaning defense lawyers will be able to access all the evidence in the case — from international cooperation requests to material seized during the December searches.
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