The investigation into Plus Ultra reveals that the airline paid 1% of the public bailout in exchange for mediation by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The former Prime Minister is being investigated for his possible involvement in an influence peddling network.
The National Court has interrogated this week the former executives of Plus Ultra, who have admitted to paying a commission of **1%** of the public bailout of **53 million euros** to a supposed frontman of Zapatero. According to information reported by expansion.com, the former Prime Minister allegedly mediated to obtain this loan in exchange for the payments.
The former president of Plus Ultra, Julio Martínez Sola, stated that the airline made these payments to Julio Martínez Martínez, a friend of Zapatero, under the concept of “accompaniment” to ensure the granting of the loan. Both former executives, Martínez Sola and former CEO Roberto Roselli, resigned from their positions after confessing these payments to Judge José Luis Calama.
The payments were distributed between **2020 and 2025**, totaling **530,000 euros**, of which **249,000 euros** were deposited into the company Análisis Relevante, linked to Martínez Martínez. Both executives stated that they did not have a clear follow-up on the actions taken by Zapatero, although they acknowledged that the airline assumed the need to hire his services.
The investigation also includes testimony from other involved parties, who mentioned that these payments were considered “kickbacks” by the defenses. The case investigates whether Zapatero acted as the leader of an influence peddling network that obtained economic benefits through his mediation in the bailout during the pandemic.
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