Zapatero implicated in Plus Ultra rescue commission scheme

Businessman Julio Martínez Martínez filed a six‑page statement with Spain’s Audiencia Nacional, alleging that former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero directed and profited from the 2021 state rescue of the airline Plus Ultra. The airline’s president Julio Martínez Sola and CFO Roberto Roselli also submitted documents confirming they paid a 1 % commission – roughly €530,000 – to companies linked to Martínez (Análisis Relevante, Voli Analítica and IOT Domotic Europe) and to in‑kind tickets, as a “desperate measure” to secure the €53 million loan from SEPI.

Both sets of executives said they had no concrete evidence of the specific actions Zapatero took, but they were aware that he and Martínez intended to receive payment for the mediation. Zapatero has denied any wrongdoing. The judge, José Luis Calama, has rejected Zapatero’s request to obtain U.S. phone‑record data from former airline adviser Rodolfo Reyes. The revelations have sparked political fallout, with the PSOE publicly reaffirming confidence in Zapatero despite the allegations.

The case remains under criminal investigation for alleged influence‑peddling, money‑laundering and tax offences.