The United States Department of Homeland Security collaborated with the Spanish police in the money laundering investigation that led to the case opened by the National Court against the former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, according to a department spokesperson, a fact that already appeared in the order of the National Court judge who charged him with allegedly leading a network of influence peddling and money laundering, which represents a new setback for the left-wing government, already plagued by other corruption scandals.
Read more The judge believes that Plus Ultra did not meet the legal requirements to be rescued
Zapatero — a key ally of Pedro Sánchez — denied any irregularity on Tuesday.
The spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that the headquarters of the Homeland Security Investigations office in Madrid “collaborated with the Spanish National Police in an investigation into the laundering of international public funds” that led to the actions against Zapatero.
“Although we cannot comment on the details of the criminal investigation at this time, HSI remains committed to collaborating with its international partners to combat global crime, protect our communities, and uphold the rule of law,” said the spokesperson, referring to the English acronym for Homeland Security Investigations.
In its order, the National Court noted that HSI extracted information from a mobile device belonging to Rodolfo Reyes, linked to Plus Ultra and also under investigation, and handed over that information to the Spanish police.
The instructor’s order reconstructs through these messages, which began in 2020, how the airline strove in the midst of the pandemic to access public funds (“we need to get the aid”) through political channels (“we’re contacting Ábalos,” “the bridge with ZP has just been made”) in exchange for payments to those who agreed to it (“we’re going to screw even if we have to pay a little”). In June 2020, Reyes asked Roberto Roselli, CEO of Plus Ultra, if the “financial boutique” [referring to the commercial structure created for collections] had set a price for its services. “Not yet (…) Well, if it gets something, it deserves payment,” he replied.
Read more The public fund that rescued Plus Ultra: a great lifeline with some shadows
The Council of Ministers definitively approved the rescue of Plus Ultra on March 9, 2021. That day Julio Martínez Martínez, a friend of Zapatero, and whose company, Análisis Relevante, invoiced, congratulated Reyes on obtaining the aid: “My greatest congratulations for having achieved the goal.” “Without a doubt, many thanks for the support. Difficult times that can only be overcome with the support of friends and good relationships,” he said.
Zapatero remains active in politics and has recently appeared at rallies supporting the Andalusian regional elections. Internationally, he has acted as a mediator with the Venezuelan government for the release of political prisoners.
The court stated on Tuesday that the alleged scheme sought to influence the approval of 53 million euros (61.51 million dollars) in public aid to Plus Ultra through Spain’s solvency support fund during the COVID-19 pandemic.
National Court judge José Luis Calama found indications that the network used fictitious companies, simulated documents, and opaque financial channels to conceal the origin and destination of funds amounting to 1.95 million euros.
