José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has been placed at the center of a judicial investigation examining alleged influence peddling and money laundering operations with business connections in Venezuela and China. As reported by El País, Judge José Luis Calama attributes a central role to the former president in a structure under suspicion that allegedly operated through shell companies and international business relationships to obtain economic benefits.
Part of this activity allegedly revolved around a consultancy firm used, according to the investigation, as a vehicle for intermediation operations. Among the companies and operations under analysis are relationships with Venezuelan circles and companies linked to Chinese capital, in an investigation that goes far beyond the public bailout granted to Plus Ultra and also examines international financial movements and complex corporate structures.
The judicial documentation known reflects that one of the lines of investigation connects the investigated circle with business operations in markets linked to Venezuela, including activities related to oil products, while other references point to companies with Chinese interests.
Zapatero categorically rejected any irregular action. "I want to reaffirm with all force that I have never carried out any action before any public administration, nor the public sector, in relation to the Plus Ultra bailout, nor before any other administration," assured the former president after the investigation became known.
What the investigation maintains
The judicial order to which this newsroom has had access within the case authorizes entry and search warrants and describes indications that, according to the investigating judge, justify further action in an investigation for alleged crimes of influence peddling and money laundering. The resolution expressly mentions the Plus Ultra bailout, investigated commercial companies, and intercepted communications as part of the analyzed material.
Among the properties and environments affected by these warrants are residences and companies linked to investigated individuals, as well as references to the former president's circle. The judicial resolution does not constitute a declaration of guilt, but rather an investigative phase based on indications under investigation.
The Plus Ultra bailout and the political context
The aid of 53 million euros to Plus Ultra, approved in 2021 through the fund managed by SEPI during the pandemic, had already caused strong political controversy before this judicial derivative. The opposition then questioned whether the company met the requirements to access public funds, while the Government defended that it was a strategic company within the extraordinary framework created by the health crisis.
The evolution of the case now raises the political impact by affecting Zapatero, a former President of the Government and a figure with symbolic weight within the PSOE, although the judicial path will depend on the outcome of the investigations and the scope that the court finally attributes to the gathered evidence.