La Moncloa defends the legality of the rescue of Plus Ultra pointed out in the Zapatero case
Ensures that it is a regulated process that does not admit "discretion"
MadridOne of the issues for which former Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is accused is for intervening in the rescue of the airline Plus Ultra in 2021, in the midst of the pandemic. A loan of 53 million euros that the Council of Ministers granted and which caused astonishment in the sector. However, Moncloa defends its legality. After the reading of the order of Judge José Luis Calama, sources from Moncloa reaffirmed themselves this Thursday on the granting of this aid.
They refer to a timeline of events: they explained that on March 9, 2021, Plus Ultra received aid from the Fund for the Support of the Solvency of Strategic Companies (FASEE), asserting that it "met the requirements" and that it was done following a regulated administrative process. In this regard, it cites other companies that also received aid for a total of 890 million euros, such as Air Europa, Volotea, Air Nostrum, Wamos Air, and Evelop Airlines. An award, they emphasize, where there is no room for "discretion, arbitrariness, or discrimination", as several people are involved: on the one hand, the technicians from the State Industrial Participations Company (SEPI), external advisors, and the company itself, after a "dozen" technical reports.
Judge Calama points out that Plus Ultra could have used Zapatero in exchange for commissions to obtain this money. A point that Moncloa implicitly denies by asserting that there is an "exhaustive control" by the administration of these loans. Furthermore, they add that it was also audited by investigating court number 15 of Madrid, by the Prosecutor's Office and various popular accusations, and that it ended up being validated. At the same time, they also assure that it was analyzed by the European Commission, the General Intervention of the State Administration, by the Court of Auditors and also the Court of Justice of the European Union, which has validated this aid regime. For its part, Plus Ultra, in a statement, has shown itself to be available to the justice to collaborate and expresses "respect" for the judicial process. At the same time, it assures that the company's economic activities continue normally.
In this way, after the initial shock, Moncloa tries to take the reins of the crisis and weave a defense strategy. It should be borne in mind that if influence peddling by Zapatero is proven, it would drag down Sánchez's entire executive, as it would imply that he managed to influence someone in the public sector. In this regard, the entity Iustitia Europa has already announced a lawsuit against the entire council of ministers, while the popular accusation of Hazte Oír has requested that the former minister María Jesús Montero, on whom SEPI depended at that time, appear before the National Court. This Thursday El Confidencial publishes from sources close to the investigation that the summary of the case points to the involvement of "high officials" of the government.
The PP does not believe them
The PP, for its part, does not believe Moncloa and has announced a "total offensive" in the Senate to try to ascertain more details of this bailout and Zapatero's alleged intervention. The popular parliamentary spokeswoman in the upper house, Alicia García, has announced that they will call María Gertrudis Alcázar, who has been Zapatero's secretary for years, and former Minister of Social Security José Luis Escrivá, among other names, to the SEPI investigation commission, which they already have underway, for having contributed to the alleged irregularity. In the case of Escrivá, currently governor of the Bank of Spain, the PP maintains that he would have "magically unlocked", at Zapatero's request, the bailout with the deferral of a debt with Social Security.
Sources from the current Ministry of Social Security reply that the granting of this deferral "was limited at that time to current regulations and normal procedure." "It is a usual tool" that is carried out with "the utmost rigor," they maintain. The popular party, on the other hand, insists on giving veracity to the hypothesis of Zapatero's pressures to profit from the bailout and also points to Pedro Sánchez. "He opened the doors wide to Zapatero and gave him a free hand for his businesses," García assured at a press conference.
The businessman Victor Aldama also referred to the case this Thursday. Within the framework of his declaration before the National Court for the purchase of masks in the Balearic and Canary Islands, he stated that Zapatero used disposable mobile phones like those allegedly used by those involved in the Koldo case. According to EFE, the businessman explained that former minister José Luis Ábalos, Koldo García –who was his advisor– and Víctor Ábalos –his son– used these types of devices. They were provided by Rubén Villalba, a Civil Guard commander also under investigation, and to speak through these terminals they used the term "have coffee".