Overview
- A Fiscalía Anticorrupción report dated 16 September finds 'indicios' that link José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and his daughters to payments allegedly tied to influence used to obtain the €53 million rescue for Plus Ultra.
- Prosecutors have for the first time formally accused Zapatero in the investigation and asked the government to turn over all outstanding documents so the judicial file can be reconstructed and assessed.
- Investigators say the administrative file on the March 2021 rescue contains major gaps, including empty folders, missing emails and papers referenced in some records but absent in others.
- A pre‑rescue Civil Aviation report made public earlier questioned the economic case for saving Plus Ultra, noting sustained losses, a roughly 0.1% market share and reliance on outside financing.
- The case remains active before the Audiencia Nacional and investigators will question a Swiss broker seen as central to the scheme after his detention and transfer to Spain, raising the prospect of further arrests and document disclosures.