Plus Ultra paid Zapatero 1.2 million euros through a shell company
Spain's UDEF police unit has traced 1.2 million euros in payments from airline Plus Ultra to former PM Zapatero via a front company. Reactions are pouring in.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The 1.2 million euros the UDEF links to Zapatero and Plus Ultra
What is the connection between former Spanish PM José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and the airline Plus Ultra? According to reports by the UDEF (Spain's economic crime police unit), the answer is 1.2 million euros allegedly channelled through a shell company. Investigators have detected payments from Plus Ultra to an instrumental company that would have benefited the former leader, in a scheme mixing public bailouts and opacity.
Reactions to the revelation were swift. Ranging from sarcasm to outrage, comments such as "it was a gift" or "from an inheritance" are circulating, while others suggest the 1.2 million figure is only the visible part: smaller payments of up to 25,000 euros would complete the network. "When you believe you're untouchable, you don't bother hiding your shady dealings," some have said.
The outlets that broke the story —The Objective and El Debate— agree that the UDEF has kept its proceedings open. For now, neither Zapatero nor Plus Ultra have commented. With these figures, the question is not whether payments took place, but in exchange for what. Meanwhile, the official silence fuels every suspicion.
What is the connection between former Spanish PM José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and the airline Plus Ultra? According to reports by the UDEF (Spain's economic crime police unit), the answer is 1.2 million euros allegedly channelled through a shell company. Investigators have detected payments from Plus Ultra to an instrumental company that would have benefited the former leader, in a scheme mixing public bailouts and opacity.
Reactions to the revelation were swift. Ranging from sarcasm to outrage, comments such as "it was a gift" or "from an inheritance" are circulating, while others suggest the 1.2 million figure is only the visible part: smaller payments of up to 25,000 euros would complete the network. "When you believe you're untouchable, you don't bother hiding your shady dealings," some have said.
The outlets that broke the story —The Objective and El Debate— agree that the UDEF has kept its proceedings open. For now, neither Zapatero nor Plus Ultra have commented. With these figures, the question is not whether payments took place, but in exchange for what. Meanwhile, the official silence fuels every suspicion.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (38 replies).
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