Former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is cast as the central figure in the Plus Ultra bailout in a statement submitted to Spain’s Audiencia Nacional by Julio Martínez Martínez, administrator of the consultancy relevant analysis. Martínez, who is under investigation, alleges that Zapatero set the strategy behind the airline’s €53 million rescue. The allegations concern whether political connections and payments were used to influence access to public financing; they have not been established as criminal findings.
In the document, seen by EL PAÍS and first reported by El Mundo, Martínez says Zapatero drew on his standing as a former head of government and his professional network to bring Plus Ultra and three other companies to relevant analysis as clients. Zapatero was neither a shareholder nor a formal executive of the consultancy, but Martínez portrays him as its de facto leader, making basic decisions on strategy and client acquisition.
Martínez describes himself as an intermediary with no independent power to secure public or private financing. He says Zapatero, acting as a consultant, directed the steps taken during the process and introduced Plus Ultra executives to relevant analysis in May 2020. Martínez has described his role as helping the airline submit its financing documents “with the greatest diligence.”
Information from Martínez’s statement, the first route pursued was an ICO-backed loan through Banco Santander. He says Zapatero asked for a letter to be sent in his name to a vice president at the bank. That approach failed, so the airline turned to the state-backed route administered by the Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI), through the Fondo de Ayuda a la Solvencia de Empresas Estratégicas (FASEE), created during the pandemic to support strategically impressive companies. Martínez says Zapatero stayed closely informed and personally told him on 26 February 2021 that SEPI would grant the financing.
The formal decision came later: on 9 March 2021, the Council of Ministers authorized €53 million for Plus Ultra through SEPI’s solvency fund. The inquiry led by investigating judge José Luis Calama at the Audiencia Nacional is focused on the gap between that official approval and Martínez’s account of events beforehand. Investigators are examining alleged influence-peddling and possible money laundering. The allegations do not establish that Zapatero directed the rescue or that the aid was unlawful.
Testimony has also focused on a payment reportedly equivalent to 1% of the rescue, about €530,000, made through companies associated with Martínez Martínez. Julio Martínez Sola, Plus Ultra’s former president and principal shareholder, reportedly acknowledged the payment, explaining: “We paid 1% because of the doubt.” He also said he did not know what specific steps had been taken inside SEPI. Prosecutors have questioned the payment arrangements and the sums channelled through several companies. The basic unresolved issue is whether any payment was connected to improper influence over the award of public funds.
Martínez Martínez testified before Judge Calama on 21 July, and Martínez Sola gave evidence on 7 September. Plus Ultra is also seeking a buyer amid continuing financial difficulty. The proceedings remain focused on testimony and documentary material concerning alleged payments and communications surrounding the rescue. The accusations are under investigation, not established criminal liability.
