Zapatero, indicted for money laundering in the National Court in the Plus Ultra case

The former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has been summoned as a suspect in the Plus Ultra case for alleged crimes of criminal organization, influence peddling, and document forgery in a case investigating alleged collection of illegal commissions in the rescue of the airline company.

According to various media reports and confirmed by ARA, Judge José Luis Calama, head of Investigating Court number 4 of the National High Court, has set the declaration for the next June 2 in a case that also analyzes the possible irregular use of the 53 million euros granted by the Government to the airline after the pandemic. Within the framework of this investigation, and once the secrecy of the sumario has been lifted, searches have been ordered at the former prime minister's office and in various commercial companies.

The investigation remains open and focuses on determining whether the rescue funds could have been diverted or used for illicit purposes. In parallel, the Public Prosecutor's Office — under the direction of Sala Prosecutor Alejandro Luzón — has been analyzing since 2024 the destination of the rescue money following information requests from Switzerland and France due to possible indications of money laundering. Within the framework of the same case, Plus Ultra's headquarters would also have been searched and several company executives, as well as other individuals linked to the investigated business environment, would have been arrested.