The audios of Zapatero's statement before the judge are leaked: "I did not exert the slightest influence"

MadridThe day after José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero spent three hours testifying as an investigated person at the National Court, audios have been leaked in which the former president of the Spanish government can be heard defending himself against accusations of allegedly committing a crime of influence peddling to obtain the public bailout of Plus Ultra, an airline linked to Venezuelan capital. It had already transpired that the former socialist leader had denied it. And, in the recordings to which ARA has had access, he can be heard saying it in the following words: "I did not speak with any political authority, with any official, with any public employee about the Plus Ultra bailout." Throughout the interrogation by Judge José Luis Calama, the former Spanish president insists on it. "I had no involvement, I did not speak with anyone [...] and this is an unquestionable truth. There will be no one who can say otherwise. Therefore, I did not exercise even the slightest influence nor did anyone ask me to."

What Zapatero did admit is having made a call to a director of Banco Santander to help Plus Ultra. This was a step taken before the company decided to try to obtain public rescue. As stated in the case summary, before resorting to this route, Plus Ultra tried, without success, for the private entity to grant them loans guaranteed by the Official Credit Institute (ICO).

Among the documents in the case, there was already a letter signed by Zapatero that the company's directors used before the vice-president of Banco Santander, Juan Manuel Cendoya, so that he would help them. The former Spanish president explained it this way before the judge: "They asked me for a favor so that they would be attended to by Santander. Perhaps this would be the first time [he heard of them]". He does not specify what happened next or if they achieved their goals.

"Who asked him?", Calama asked. To which Zapatero admitted that it was his friend Julio Martínez Martínez, considered by investigators to be the straw man of the former Spanish president. The former socialist leader downplayed the call and stated that he did not inquire about Plus Ultra. "Many people ask me for similar arrangements [...] I had confidence in Mr. Cendoya [a Santander executive], it was simply for them to attend to them. And note that I do this with people and companies that have problems", argued Zapatero.

The former Spanish president also distanced himself from the alleged scheme, supposedly managed by Julio Martínez Martínez, to collect commissions for the alleged work he did in favor of the airline. "I have never had a company nor have I ever participated in any," he assured.

The 'darn' jewels

If there is a debate in Madrid, it is about the value of the jewelry found on the former president during the search of his office. The murmurs are so great that Judge Calama asked him in the following way: "I inform you that the content of the proceedings may affect your daughters or your wife. You value to the extent you deem appropriate, whether to respond or not to respond. And now let's get to the 'darn' jewelry. I know you've appealed, but the appeal is not suspensive. Do you want to testify or do you not want to testify?". Zapatero is brief and categorical: "No, I do not want to testify."

From here, the judge develops the interrogation about the main case, the Plus Ultra rescue, in which he tries to find out what his relationship was with Julio Martínez Martínez. The businessman owner of Analisi Relevante.

How do you know Julio Martínez Martínez? The former president explains that he met him through friends in 2011 and that from then on they shared hobbies like running. It is not until 2020 that Martínez creates Análisi Relevante and proposes Zapatero to collaborate as a consultant, which he does with "very intense work", he says, but nothing to do with Plus Ultra. In parallel, Calama also asks him if he has traveled with this businessman, and the former president admits it. He explains that he began to accompany him "as a friend" to Venezuela from 2019, when he went there very often due to his mediation in favor of political prisoners, and that they also went to the Dominican Republic. However, Zapatero says he does not remember, when asked by the judge, if he traveled to the United Arab Emirates with Martínez. "Well, we are not talking about the Roman calendar, the United Arab Emirates is not Portugal," Calama is surprised.

The role of the daughters

Regarding the role of his daughters, who were indicted this Thursday by the judge for their legal position at the company Wha The Fav, Zapatero acknowledges that he made it a condition to Julio Martínez Martínez that they should intervene through their design company in the process of the consultancy reports he prepared for Análisis Relevante. "Yes, I have supported my daughters," he says, adding: "They work well and precisely because of who they are, they have never bid for public administration contracts. They could have done so." At this point, Zapatero defends that the jobs he did were real, responded to reports and advice, he says, and also downplays the fact that his secretary, Gertrudis Alcázar, also indicted this Thursday, consulted about the concept for which the invoices were to be issued to Julio Martínez's right-hand man.

The judge says: "It seems surprising to me because in the end the invoice must correspond to the work done." While Zapatero defends his secretary: "She has always acted according to my instructions. She is an excellent person and worker who has been with me since 2000." He adds that if she asked about the object of the invoices, it is because of the wide variety of jobs she did, from reports to advice to travel. A response that, given the events, did not convince Judge Calama.