The judge of the National Court Jose Luis Calama Teixeira summoned the former Spanish president between 2004 and 2011 José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (PSOE) to testify as an investigated person at the beginning of the week for the crimes of influence peddling and money laundering. The socialist is the first former president of democracy to suffer an indictment and will have to sit on the bench on June 2.
According to the judicial order published by El País and to which La Voz has had access, the investigation places Zapatero as the leader of an "organized and stable structure" allegedly "oriented towards the illicit exercise of influence before national and foreign authorities" and towards the "obtaining of administrative resolutions and economic advantages in favor of third parties."
Judge Calama assures that the indications place Zapatero allegedly "at the apex of the structure" of this network that would use "a complex corporate structure," which is fed by companies without real activity, to channel the profits obtained.
The investigation, still ongoing, places the businessman Julio Martínez Martínez, as the "usual interlocutor" of the clients and "recipient of direct instructions" from Zapatero. Furthermore, it assures that Martínez Martínez acts together with the man from Lanzarote Manuel Aarón Fajardo as "direct intermediaries" between the former president and his alleged clients. However, the man from the Canary Islands has not yet received the notification that places him as investigated in the case. In fact, he learned of the order through its publication in the press.
"An opportunity" for Plus Ultra among thousands of deaths
In one of the most important judicial orders in the democratic history of Spain regarding the investigation of a former president, the court begins by setting out a conversation in the midst of the health crisis derived from Covid-19, in March 2020.
While the virus left thousands dead in Spain, Plus Ultra shareholder Rodolfo Reyes assured the company's president, Julio Martínez Sola, that "a crisis is an opportunity." In this way, the court states that the businessmen articulated "two differentiated lines of influence" to try to obtain economic aid of 53 million euros from SEPI. One of them, through the Ministry of Transport, under the direction of José Luis Ábalos, already investigated in other cases, and the other, through José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
Amidst this conversation, the president of Plus Ultra indicated to shareholder Rodolfo Reyes: "As a friend says, we are going to fuck even if we have to pay a little bit". The instruction assures that the company resorted to "mechanisms outside the legally established channels" to obtain this aid.
In this conversation in the middle of the coronavirus lockdown, both assure that they have found a bridge to reach Zapatero: the Manuel Aarón Fajardo from Lanzarote, whom the businessmen call "ZP's piece in Venezuela". However, among the conversations reproduced in the ruling, there is no conversation involving the former president.
Manuel Fajardo Palarea on the ruling mentioning his son
For his part, the father of Manuel Aarón Fajardo, the socialist senator for Lanzarote and lawyer Manuel Fajardo Palarea, has stated in declarations to La Voz that he trusts in justice, just as he "totally" trusts his son and the former president Zapatero. At the same time, he has pointed out that this case had been "announced in digital media on the peninsula for months" and that he was informed by the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso (Partido Popular) before her controversial trip to Mexico.
Manuel Fajardo Palarea rejects linking this judicial case to political persecution and states "the day I stop trusting in justice, I stop trusting in democracy".
Plus Ultra and economic aid
The judicial piece includes conversations between his son, Manuel Aaarón Fajardo, and the president of Plus Ultra, where Julio Martínez Sola explains that they are having difficulties receiving credit lines and asks for the intervention of this alleged network of influences.
Then, Fajardo puts him in contact with the businessman Julio Martínez Martínez, to whom he conveys that the company needs financing of fifteen million euros. From then on, the conversations to obtain financing take place between the representatives of Plus Ultra and the businessman Martínez Martínez.
In these messages, the CEO of Plus Ultra, Roberto Roselli, assures that he did not speak directly with Zapatero and places Julio Martínez Martínez as the "lackey" of the former president. Furthermore, he assures that Martínez Martínez spoke to him about a financial boutique created to collect alleged kickbacks, although no financial amounts were discussed at the time.
The court states that while they were trying to obtain subsidies through Zapatero's influence, Plus Ultra's representatives continued during the summer of 2020 to seek financing avenues, approaching the then Minister of Transport, José Luis Ábalos. After a meeting with representatives of the Ministry, it assures that although the department did not decide who received the aid, the ministerial portfolio committed to speaking well of the company to promote the aid.
The judge of the National High Court assures that it was ultimately Zapatero's route that "acquired a predominant role" and allowed Plus Ultra to obtain the aid.
Julio Martínez Martínez, advisor to Plus Ultra
In July 2020, the Fund for the Support of the Solvency of Strategic Companies (FASEE) was created, managed by the State Industrial Holdings Corporation, dependent on the Ministry of Finance. Then, Plus Ultra hired the advisory services of the company Análisis Relevante SL, represented by Julio Martínez Martínez. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero participates as a consultant in this company.
The Court attributes to him, moreover, an "active and direct" participation in the organization's channels, even being part of a group chat of the company.
For one year, payments amounted to 72,600 euros for "continued advice" on the political, social, and economic situation of the world. In August 2020, Plus Ultra obtained a certificate of being up to date with Social Security, although a debt did exist.
The judge of the National High Court Jose Luis Calama Teixeira states that this alleged network received funds in its corporate environment through advisory or consultancy contracts that served as "mere documentary justification." Thus, he places Zapatero and the company Whathefav SL, managed by his daughters, as the "final beneficiary" of the income.
At the same time, he assures that Zapatero's office secretary, Gertrudis Alcázar, would be at a third level within this alleged scheme, for handling the daily management of the corporate environment.
The court insists that the alleged illicit activity would be led by the former Spanish president, who would have issued instructions to create companies abroad in which to receive payments.
An investigation by UDEF
Behind this investigation is the Central Unit for Economic and Fiscal Crime (UDEF), through the Central Brigade for the Investigation of Money Laundering and Corruption of the Directorate General of the Police.
The National High Court decided to open a separate case last March, after receiving an order from a Court of First Instance in Madrid. At the end of 2025, in the month of November, Investigating Court number 15 of Madrid authorized the search of the homes of nine individuals or companies, including the facilities of Plus Ultras Líneas Aéreas SA. The judicial body gave the go-ahead to access and download computer data, as well as email communications and other types of telematic communications.
The US agency Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made available to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office the telephone extraction from a mobile phone that belonged to one of the investigated individuals: the shareholder of Plus Ultra, Rodolfo Reyes Rojas.
Based on the analysis of these conversations, the Central Brigade for the Investigation of Money Laundering requested to search the home and office of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The Court gave the green light for this search last Tuesday, May 19, starting at 6:00 AM. In addition to the former president's premises, the registered office of Whatherfav SL, the headquarters of Sofgestor SL, and that of Inteligencia Prospectiva SL were also searched.
The Central Unit for Economic and Fiscal Crime has been responsible for this operation, with the specific support of the Operational Support Section of the central UDEF, the Central Unit for Cybercrime, and the intervention of Canine Guides and the Operational Group of Technical Interventions (GOIT). The Court also ordered the search of private parking spaces, the vehicles themselves, adjacent premises, but also "basements, storage rooms, meter rooms, heating rooms, or archive rooms".
The National High Court requested authorization for the seizure of virtual currencies (such as Bitcoins or Litecoins), as well as to obtain mass data storage housed on electronic servers. Furthermore, during the search, it requested the download of the phones used by the investigated individuals.
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