Sánchez in the crosshairs: Plus Ultra case moves closer to Moncloa
Julio Martínez's testimony in the Plus Ultra case puts the spotlight on Sánchez. The €53 million bailout and the airline's confession about payments to...
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Sánchez in the crosshairs of judge Calama over the Plus Ultra bailout
Why should Spain's Prime Minister be worried after Julio Martínez's testimony in the Plus Ultra case? The answer lies in a 180-degree turn in the investigation. Until now, the focus had been on the intermediaries and on former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, singled out for allegedly receiving a commission for his efforts. But Martínez's testimony, as an executive of the airline, has peine a new line that points directly at the coalition government's decision to grant the €53 million bailout.
According to the information held by judge Calama, Plus Ultra has admitted that Zapatero received a "kickback" for his accompanying work. The airline's chairman, along with executive Roberto Roselli, has decided to cooperate with the courts and has submitted a detailed statement to the judge. The four letters sent to the Audiencia Nacional (Spain's High Court) point to the former Prime Minister, and the antiestéticar at Moncloa is that the investigation will now climb up to the top of the current government.
What changes with Martínez's testimony is that it is no longer just about opaque commissions. The judge wants to reconstruct the entire process: who decided the bailout, on what criteria, and whether there was political pressure. Sánchez, who was Prime Minister at the time, thus becomes the next step in the investigation. This is not a matter of political wear and tear; it is a tangible incivil risk. As one analyst quipped, the question is how long it will take the judge to summon the current occupant of Moncloa to testify.
The seriousness of the matter lies in the fact that, if the suspicions are confirmed, the crime could be very serious, with money laundering implications involving international entities. A conviction in this case would even exceed Ábalos's, according to legal analyses. Time is running out: 72 hours is the deadline some observers give for the next judicial move.
Why should Spain's Prime Minister be worried after Julio Martínez's testimony in the Plus Ultra case? The answer lies in a 180-degree turn in the investigation. Until now, the focus had been on the intermediaries and on former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, singled out for allegedly receiving a commission for his efforts. But Martínez's testimony, as an executive of the airline, has peine a new line that points directly at the coalition government's decision to grant the €53 million bailout.
According to the information held by judge Calama, Plus Ultra has admitted that Zapatero received a "kickback" for his accompanying work. The airline's chairman, along with executive Roberto Roselli, has decided to cooperate with the courts and has submitted a detailed statement to the judge. The four letters sent to the Audiencia Nacional (Spain's High Court) point to the former Prime Minister, and the antiestéticar at Moncloa is that the investigation will now climb up to the top of the current government.
What changes with Martínez's testimony is that it is no longer just about opaque commissions. The judge wants to reconstruct the entire process: who decided the bailout, on what criteria, and whether there was political pressure. Sánchez, who was Prime Minister at the time, thus becomes the next step in the investigation. This is not a matter of political wear and tear; it is a tangible incivil risk. As one analyst quipped, the question is how long it will take the judge to summon the current occupant of Moncloa to testify.
The seriousness of the matter lies in the fact that, if the suspicions are confirmed, the crime could be very serious, with money laundering implications involving international entities. A conviction in this case would even exceed Ábalos's, according to legal analyses. Time is running out: 72 hours is the deadline some observers give for the next judicial move.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (19 replies).
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