Zapatero Summoned to Court: Plus Ultra Investigation Expands. Former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has been called to testify in the case concerning alleged influence on the bailout of Plus Ultra. The court has added new charges following an assessment of seized valuables. Investigators are seeking clarification on evidence obtained from the United States.
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, former Prime Minister of Spain, will testify in the coming days in a case involving alleged lobbying for the interests of the airline Plus Ultra and possible money laundering. The judicial investigation, initiated after he was served with a notice of being charged, now includes not only suspicions of influence peddling, but also new episodes—tax offenses and smuggling linked to a jewelry collection worth over €1.3 million.
Zapatero's lawyer, Víctor Moreno Catena, insists on the need to obtain official clarifications from the US regarding the copy of data from the phone of former Plus Ultra owner Rodolfo Reyes. According to investigators, it was these messages that formed the basis of the influence peddling charge: the correspondence discussed actions by the "Zapatero group" to secure government support for the airline. However, the defense claims that the phone seizure in Miami took place without a court order, which in Spain is considered a violation of procedural safeguards. The court has already sent a request to the US authorities for details on the transfer of this data, and the lawyer is demanding an expanded review of the circumstances of its acquisition and storage.
The case materials mention other episodes as well. Investigators are interested in why Plus Ultra, through the consulting firm Análisis Relevante, hired José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s close friend, entrepreneur Julio Martínez Martínez. This same company paid the former prime minister himself almost half a million euros over five years, although he was not formally listed among the executives. Investigators believe Zapatero may have influenced decisions in Plus Ultra’s interest and helped the company receive government aid after the pandemic. Attention is also being paid to a meeting between Zapatero and then Minister of Social Security José Luis Escrivá, which the ministry initially denied, but later confirmed, stating it was not related to Plus Ultra.
A separate set of questions concerns money transfers to Zapatero’s daughters’ accounts via the company What The Fav and other firms linked to Venezuelan businessmen. Investigators suspect these entities may have been used to move funds out of Venezuela and subsequently launder them in Spain. At Martínez Martínez’s home, records of political contacts in Venezuela and a Miami account with over half a million euros were found.
The court is paying special attention to the origin of the jewelry seized from Zapatero. According to experts, just 12 of the more than 100 items are worth almost as much as the entire lot — €1.2 million. Investigators believe that the absence of purchase and transfer documents for these valuables may indicate tax violations and smuggling. The former prime minister will now have to provide separate explanations for this episode. His representative previously noted that part of the jewelry is a family heirloom, and part are gifts, but it is the expensive pieces with precious stones that are raising questions with the investigation.
The investigation into the Plus Ultra case and the former prime minister's related activities has already led to additional questioning in the Senate, where contacts with the prosecutor's office and new details of the case were previously discussed. In particular, senators summoned Teresa Peramato to provide explanations regarding episodes related to Plus Ultra. This underscores the scale and complexity of the investigation, which involves international transfers, ties to Venezuela, and questions about the transparency of financial flows.
For reference: Plus Ultra is a Spanish airline that received government support after the pandemic. In recent years, Spain has tightened controls on large transfers and the origin of assets, especially in cases with an international component. Under Spanish law, failure to pay taxes exceeding €120,000 may be classified as a criminal offense. If found guilty of smuggling and tax evasion, penalties may include substantial fines and imprisonment.
