Spain’s ex-PM Zapatero under probe in Plus Ultra airline case

Spain’s former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero faces a corruption investigation into alleged influence peddling in the long-running Plus Ultra airline case, the High Court said Tuesday.

The court said investigators searched Zapatero’s Madrid office and three other premises, adding that the former premier has been summoned to testify on June 2.

The probe centers on the 2021 state rescue of Plus Ultra, which received 53 million euros ($62 million) from the state holding company SEPI during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The case intensified in late December after several arrests, including businessman Julio Martinez Martinez, known as Julito, considered key to understanding links between Plus Ultra and Zapatero.

Prosecutors allege Zapatero was the driving force behind the airline’s bailout and pressed the Ministry of Transport, then led by Jose Luis Abalos, to approve the rescue.

Suspicion also focuses on Analisis Relevante, Julito’s company, which allegedly received the same amount Plus Ultra later paid to Zapatero. Businessman Victor de Aldama, involved in other corruption probes, has alleged Zapatero received 10 million euros ($12 million) in commissions.

The bailout remained politically controversial as critics questioned both Plus Ultra’s financial viability and its ownership links to Venezuelan businessmen close to then-President Nicolas Maduro, raising concerns about transparency and possible political influence.

The court is examining whether the aid was properly approved and whether any improper lobbying or influence was involved.

Speaking to El Pais, Andalusian regional government president Juanma Moreno said: “There has never been a serious investigation process, much less an indictment of a former president. This is something unprecedented and will shake up the government.”

The conservative opposition People’s Party has used the case to attack Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of the Socialist Workers’ Party, to which Zapatero also belongs. Sanchez’s administration already faces separate corruption probes involving figures close to him as well as investigations touching his wife and brother.

Zapatero, who governed Spain from 2004 to 2011, has long been a key ally of Sanchez and has drawn criticism over business and political ties with Venezuela after leaving office. He has denied wrongdoing before a parliamentary committee.