The president of Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas, Julio Martínez Sola, and the CEO, Roberto Roselli, both investigated for the public bailout granted to the airline in March 2021, have submitted their resignation this Friday, as indicated to Europa Press by sources close to the company.
As a replacement in management, shareholder Hugo Castaño has been proposed, although his appointment must be authorized by the State Society of Industrial Participations (SEPI) in the coming weeks, given that the airline continues under supervision after receiving the loan of 53 million euros.
The resignations occur after the two executives, charged with an alleged crime of influence peddling in the case that also involves former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, admitted this week before the National Court that Plus Ultra signed a contract with Julio Martínez's company ("Julito") -- a close friend of Zapatero -- to pay him 1% of the bailout granted by the Fund for the Support of the Solvency of Strategic Companies (FASEE).
The agreed amount, 530,000 euros, was channeled through the companies Análisis Relevante, Voli Analítica, and IOT Domotic Europe.
In the documents submitted, which Europa Press had access to, both "were fully aware" that Martínez Martínez, owner of Análisis Relevante, and Zapatero "did have the intention of charging for the management to be carried out, which was assumed by both as a desperate measure to save the company, even though they were unaware of what internal agreements they might have."
Martínez Sola and Roselli emphasize that they did not "have a reliable record of the specific actions taken to influence or favor the granting of the bailout to Plus Ultra by SEPI," although they acknowledge that "as a desperate measure, it was assumed that Plus Ultra should contract with Martínez Martínez for that purpose, aware that he had a relationship with Zapatero."