Martínez Sola testified for around three hours before National Court Judge José Luis Calama and, according to legal sources, reaffirmed the contents of the document he sent to the judge last July. In that document, he pointed to Zapatero’s involvement in efforts to secure financing for the company.
A CALL FROM A HIDDEN NUMBER
According to Martínez Sola’s account, Zapatero called him from a hidden number and offered to help with Plus Ultra’s financial problems. The first option discussed was reportedly obtaining a loan from Banco Santander, an operation that ultimately did not go ahead.
After that possibility fell through, according to the former executive’s testimony, efforts began to secure public financing. In 2021, Plus Ultra ultimately received a €53 million loan from SEPI, from a fund created to support companies deemed strategic that had been affected by the pandemic.
ZAPATERO DENIES INFLUENCING THE BAILOUT
The investigation is now seeking to clarify what role Zapatero actually played in the process and the reason for the payments under suspicion. Martínez Sola maintains that he assumed the agreed commission was linked to the former president, but the judicial inquiries are ongoing and there is still no ruling establishing that point as proven.
Zapatero, for his part, has denied making approaches to the government or SEPI to secure the bailout. In July, he said he had not spoken with any public authority about aid for Plus Ultra and rejected having benefited improperly from the operation.
