Zapatero investigation expands to airline funds and luxury jewelry

Investigations into the ‘Plus Ultra case’ have revealed new details regarding financial flows and assets linked to former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. Police reports from the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) indicate that funds from the airline Plus Ultra continued to flow toward the network of Julio Martínez Martínez, an alleged frontman for Zapatero, as recently as May 2026.

According to investigators, a company known as Summer Wind acted as an intermediary to pay a debt of 213,202 euros to Affita, a real estate firm controlled by Martínez Martínez. These payments occurred even after Zapatero testified before a Senate commission in March, where he denied any relationship with Plus Ultra or knowledge of its rescue.

Additionally, judicial authorities are investigating the origin of luxury items found in a safe in Zapatero’s Madrid office during a May 19 search. The collection, which includes 103 items such as jewelry and watches, has been valued at over 1.3 million euros by professional appraisers. While representatives for the former Prime Minister suggested the items were family inheritances or institutional gifts, the investigation remains open to determine their legal provenance and potential tax implications.