MADRID, Spain — The legal defense of former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has suffered a severe setback after Julio Martínez Martínez, a central figure in the alleged “Plus Ultra” influence peddling scandal, voluntarily submitted a written statement to the National Court admitting that the former leader negotiated a commission for the airline’s government bailout.
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Martínez, an entrepreneur and long-time associate of Zapatero, is scheduled to testify before Judge José Luis Calama regarding the public rescue of the Venezuelan-backed airline during the pandemic. In a dramatic reversal of his previous strategy of absolute silence, Martínez’s six-page document reportedly acknowledges that Zapatero secured a 1 percent commission on the 53 million euro rescue package. The submission allegedly details that Zapatero was informed of the impending bailout in late February 2021, weeks before the official approval by the Council of Ministers on March 9 of that year.
Investigators from the National Police’s Financial Crimes Unit (UDEF) have long alleged that Zapatero sat at the apex of an organized influence peddling network. According to police reports, Martínez acted as the former prime minister’s alleged frontman, managing the corporate structures used to channel illicit payments. A key entity in this scheme, a company named “Análisis relevante,” reportedly billed clients for consulting services supposedly provided by Zapatero. Authorities suspect these reports, which were allegedly formatted by a company owned by Zapatero’s daughters at inflated market rates, served as a camouflage for illicit compensation.
Until now, Zapatero has vehemently denied any involvement in receiving commissions or engaging in illicit influence peddling. His legal strategy has primarily focused on challenging the procedural validity of the investigation rather than addressing the substantive evidence. For instance, his defense team has attempted to invalidate text messages extracted from a mobile phone in the United States belonging to Rodolfo Reyes, a major Plus Ultra shareholder. Those messages, which initially triggered the probe, allegedly implicated the former prime minister in the scheme. Zapatero’s lawyers argued that the extraction of this evidence would not have been legal under Spanish jurisdiction.
However, this procedural defense has been severely undermined by recent developments. Compounding the pressure on Zapatero, the leadership of Plus Ultra has reportedly submitted its own written statement to the National Court, admitting that a bribe was indeed paid to the former president to secure the rescue package. This corporate admission directly corroborates the contents of the disputed messages and aligns with the new narrative presented by Martínez.
While Martínez’s sudden pivot toward cooperation threatens to dismantle Zapatero’s legal defenses, legal experts caution that, as an investigated party, Martínez retains the right to remain silent or provide self-serving testimony. Nevertheless, the assertions in his written statement closely mirror the existing findings of the UDEF investigation.
Further complicating the former prime minister’s legal standing are lingering questions regarding his personal finances. Approximately a month ago, Zapatero committed to providing documentation explaining the origin of a cache of jewelry valued at 1.3 million euros, dubbed “Zapatkamón” by the media, which was discovered during the investigation. To date, no such explanation has been made public.
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As Martínez prepares to face direct questioning before the judge, his unexpected willingness to collaborate marks a critical juncture in the investigation. The proceedings are expected to be highly consequential, potentially reshaping the judicial horizon for one of Spain’s most prominent political figures as authorities move to hold all involved parties accountable.
