Judge orders deep dive into Venezuelan capital in Plus Ultra airline

A Spanish judge at the National Court has ordered the police to conduct an exhaustive investigation into the ownership history of the airline Plus Ultra. The directive, issued by Judge José Luis Calama, tasks the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) with analyzing the company’s shareholding structure from its inception in 2011 to the present day. This move is part of a broader judicial inquiry into a 53-million-euro state bailout granted to the airline in 2021 during the pandemic. Prosecutors are particularly interested in the influx of Venezuelan capital that began in 2017, seeking to determine if these changes in ownership influenced the government's decision to classify the carrier as a strategic asset eligible for public funds. The investigation follows a request from the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, which argues that understanding the evolution of the airline's capital is essential to the ongoing case. The inquiry also touches upon the alleged involvement of former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who is currently under investigation for his suspected role in an influence-peddling network linked to the airline. While the airline's former top executives recently resigned following their own legal troubles, the judicial focus remains on whether the bailout process was compromised by external interests. The court's latest order aims to clarify the financial reality behind the company's structure, which remains a central point of contention in the ongoing legal proceedings.