The national spokesperson of the PP, Borja Sémper, has demanded that the president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, provide detailed explanations about the bailout granted to Plus Ultra, warning that the version defended so far by the Executive "cannot hold for even a minute longer." "What does Sánchez owe to Zapatero?" he has asked.
"It is not Mr. Zapatero who is the political responsible for a bailout that has the Government choked. It is Sánchez, as president, who is responsible and who must give urgent explanations because his version and that of his ministers cannot hold for even a minute longer," Sémper stated this Monday at a press conference in Madrid.
Sémper's words come after the former president of Plus Ultra, Julio Martínez Sola, has confirmed today as an investigated party that they dedicated 1% of the 53 million bailout granted to the airline during the pandemic for the supposed mediation of former Government president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in its achievement, although he has not specified what kind of actions he would have carried out.
This was declared by Martínez Sola before the judge of the National Court José Luis Calama, who is investigating the "Plus Ultra case" and has charged Zapatero as the alleged leader of a network of influence peddling around that bailout granted by Pedro Sánchez's Government in 2021 and other operations.
Specifically, Martínez Sola has assured that they decided to pay that amount -- about 530,000 euros -- to Zapatero's considered partner, Julio Martínez Martínez, because the situation of Plus Ultra was critical and they assumed it was a necessary step for the former socialist leader to mediate. However, the former executive has indicated that they did not follow up on the actions that the former Government president might have taken and that what mattered most to them was the success of the bailout.
In this regard, Sémper has assured that, in his words, this statement demonstrates that Zapatero is the one who "requests Sánchez's Executive to do it" and that, consequently, Sánchez "complies with the mandate of the former president and approves the bailout of the company." "The serious thing is that it is an operation that involves Sánchez's Government," he criticized.
"What does Mr. Sánchez owe to Zapatero? Why does he maintain his trust? Why is there not a single criticism from the Government and Mr. Sánchez towards Zapatero? What do they owe each other? What are they trying to hide?" questioned the PP leader.
"A judicial calvary remains" for the Government
"There is a judicial calvary that already takes up more space than the political calendar of the Government." "There is a calvary of courts, statements, police reports, accounts, commissions, and pending explanations," he pointed out, emphasizing that, while "for millions of children September is back to school, for the PSOE it is back to the courts."
"Tomorrow we will see the second part of the show," he joked, referring to the statement before the judge that the former CEO of Plus Ultra Roberto Roselli will give tomorrow. He also referred to the appearances scheduled for this Wednesday of the manager of the PSOE, Ana María Fuentes, and the former lawyer of the former ministerial advisor Koldo García, Ismael Oliver, before the magistrate Santiago Pedraz, as investigated in the framework of the "Leire Díez case."
With all that, Sémper has celebrated that "every day that passes is one day less" for Sánchez's Government and for "many Spaniards who aspire for things to change." "We, with humility but with firmness, are willing to change politics in this country so that it addresses, once and for all, the problems of Spaniards," he concluded.