Spain: José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero Denies Links to Plus Ultra Scandal Before Senate

The questioning of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero before the Senate committee investigating the Koldo case became an arena for sharp political confrontation. The main line of inquiry is the former prime minister's role in the process of granting 53 million euros in public aid to the airline Plus Ultra in 2021. Zapatero repeatedly described the accusations against him as „enormes falsedades” (enormous lies), emphasizing that he never lobbied the current government on behalf of this company. However, controversy was sparked by his admission to receiving an annual fee of 70 thousand euros from a company owned by his close friend, who is currently implicated in the investigation. During hours of testimony, the politician had to explain the nature of his consulting services. He admitted that most of his income came from preparing „oral reports” for anonymous clients, which raised opposition suspicions about a lack of transparency. Zapatero also addressed accusations from Victor de Aldama, the main suspect in the scandal, who claimed to have delivered a package from the Vice President of Venezuela to the former prime minister. Zapatero called these revelations „patraña” (nonsense) and firmly denied owning shares in gold mines in that country. At the same time, he confirmed that as part of a „goodwill mission” he facilitated a meeting between a representative of Air Europa and Nicolás Maduro, arguing it was necessary to protect Spanish economic interests abroad. The Spanish Senate, where the conservative People's Party (PP) holds a majority, has become a main center of political pressure on the socialist government of Pedro Sánchez through a series of investigative committees related to past and current scandals.The right-wing opposition from the People's Party stated that the questioning „accredited” the fact of Zapatero's enrichment through contacts with the regime in Caracas. PP representatives even suggested that the politician might soon find himself before the Audiencia Nacional. Meanwhile, the ruling left accused the conservatives of a „witch hunt” and an attempt to cover up their own image problems by attacking the former prime minister's family, including his daughters, whose business activities also became the subject of the committee's questions. „Todo lo que se ha dicho de mí sobre Plus Ultra son falsedades, enormes falsedades” (Everything that has been said about me regarding Plus Ultra is false, enormous falsehoods) — José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero „Soy leal al PSOE hasta el último día de mi vida” (I am loyal to the PSOE until the last day of my life) — José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero