The Partido Popular (PP) has escalated its confrontation with the government, accusing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero of helping secure the €53 million rescue of airline Plus Ultra. The party alleges that political influence may have shaped the award of public financing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those claims remain under examination, not judicial findings of guilt.
The Council of Ministers authorized the €53 million in financing on 9 March 2021 through the Fondo de Ayuda a la Solvencia de Empresas Estratégicas, administered by the Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI). The measure was public financing through a strategic-enterprise solvency fund, not a direct budgetary grant. The Audiencia Nacional investigation, led by examining judge José Luis Calama, is examining alleged irregularities, including possible influence peddling and money laundering connected with the rescue.
The PP sharpened its rhetoric on Tuesday, when Julio Martínez Martínez, administrator of relevant analysis, testified before Calama. Martínez said he passed on to Zapatero information he had received about Plus Ultra’s financing request, describing himself as an intermediary between the former prime minister and the airline’s leadership. His testimony does not, by itself, establish that Zapatero contacted anyone in government or at SEPI to secure the financing.
At a press conference in Congress, PP spokesperson Ester Muñoz accused Sánchez of complicity in the alleged influence peddling. She argued that the rescue would not have proceeded without approval at the highest levels of government, and alleged that Zapatero had contacted a minister or Sánchez to promote the bailout. Muñoz also linked the matter to Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s former vice president, presenting Zapatero’s relationships in Caracas and Madrid as politically impressive. These remain claims by the PP, not findings established by the court.
PP leaders have repeated the argument, seeking to link the government to the rescue. The party has cited Martínez’s testimony and statements involving Plus Ultra owner Julio Martínez Sola and executive Roberto Roselli, both identified in reporting as under investigation. Martínez Sola testified on 7 September about contacts with people described as the “Zapatero group” during the airline’s 2020 effort to obtain support. He reportedly discussed a payment equivalent to 1% of the expected rescue, saying it was made “in case of doubt”; he also said he could not identify a specific intervention by Zapatero at SEPI. The testimony forms part of the investigation. It does not establish that the payment bought official action or that Zapatero secured the rescue.
After Martínez’s testimony, PP secretary Miguel Tellado reinforced the party’s position on social media, saying the revelations had left Zapatero politically exposed and Sánchez under growing pressure. Tellado argued that Sánchez’s continued support for Zapatero, despite the allegations and judicial scrutiny, reflected shared interests in the matter.
Martínez also told the court that Zapatero had enabled his business activities in Venezuela by introducing him to Rodríguez. The PP says this connection illustrates a network of relationships that may have helped help the Plus Ultra rescue. Muñoz argued that Zapatero could mediate between the Venezuelan and Spanish governments because of his ties to Rodríguez and Sánchez, and alleged that he personally profited from the operation. These political allegations remain separate from the court’s assessment of the evidence.
The investigation has also prompted Calama to request records from the Subdirección General de Patrimonio del Estado concerning institutional gifts made to the Presidency of the Government during the 2004 to 2008 and 2008 to 2011 legislatures. The judge sought the March 2012 record documenting their acceptance into state property and allocation to the Ministry of the Presidency, with delivery ordered within two days. The request is part of a parallel inquiry involving jewellery found by police in Zapatero’s office. It does not, on its own, establish a connection between the gifts and the airline rescue.
The case has drawn large attention in Spain, particularly after statements by Plus Ultra’s leadership. For more background on Zapatero’s reported role in the airline’s rescue, see this detailed report on the court filings and political implications: how Plus Ultra's president linked Zapatero to the bailout controversy.
Plus Ultra is reportedly seeking a buyer after years of financial difficulty, with its position described as critical. The airline received €53 million in public financing in March 2021. The court is examining whether any of the funds were used to launder illicit money and whether an influence-peddling network operated around the company. The case remains an active investigation, not an adjudicated finding of wrongdoing.
PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo is set to deliver his assessment of the political year at party headquarters, coinciding with the third anniversary of the July 2023 general elections. His speech is expected to increase pressure on Sánchez, who will present his own review of the government’s performance in the coming days, before the final parliamentary session ahead of the summer recess.
The Plus Ultra case has become a focus of Spain’s debate over pandemic-era public financing and the limits of political influence. The investigation examines the legality of the €53 million rescue alongside allegations about intermediary payments and political access, as well as possible financial crimes. The Audiencia Nacional and the relevant prosecutorial and judicial authorities will determine the legal significance of the evidence.
