Overview
- This week Julio Martínez Martínez, identified by investigators as an intermediary, sent a written statement to Judge José Luis Calama saying José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero mediated the 2021 SEPI rescue of Plus Ultra.
- Plus Ultra executives and the owner of Análisis Relevante filed corroborating notes that describe a roughly 1% commission on the €53 million loan and direct payments routed through the consulting firm.
- Fiscalía Anticorrupción described Martínez’s filing as “important” and said the new documents may accelerate inquiries focused on who received money and how intermediary structures operated.
- Judge Calama has not scheduled immediate further testimony and has signaled no new witness hearings before the August recess, though he still may summon Zapatero’s daughters, his secretary and others for questioning.
- The case builds on earlier UDEF work and a May judicial order that placed Zapatero at the center of an alleged influence network and follows a separate line examining jewellery seized from his Ferraz office valued at about €1.3 million.