Outside the Audiencia Nacional former executives of Plus Ultra testified on 8 September 2026 about alleged Venezuelan influence at the airline and the use of public bailout funds. According to consistent media reports, former managing director Roberto Roselli told investigating judge José Luis Calama that Venezuelan businessman Rodolfo Reyes had in practice exercised significant influence over Plus Ultra. He also said that funds connected with the state loan approved in 2021 had not been used exclusively for the company’s day-to-day operations.
At the centre of the investigation is a loan of SEPI from the state support fund, granted by the 53 million euros. The investigation is examining whether government bodies may have been inadequately informed when the loan was arranged and whether the use of the funds was properly monitored. According to interview records, Roselli said that, in his view, SEPI did not systematically monitor how the money was used. The court has not issued a final assessment.
In August 2026, the judge in charge had already instructed the UDEF to conduct a comprehensive analysis of Plus Ultra’s ownership and financial structure in order to trace the role of Venezuelan investors. In the latest interviews, witnesses described complex payment flows through companies with links to Venezuela. The documents also refer to agreements on payments to intermediaries; some investigators have linked these to the circle of former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero . As things stand, the former head of government is not suspected of any offence.
The Audiencia Nacional is investigating possible offences connected with the bailout, including possible misleading of government bodies and irregularities in the use of funds. The current phase involves witness testimony, police analysis and written statements. It is ongoing, and any criminal consequences cannot yet be reliably assessed.
The former executives’ statements strengthen suspicions that the relationships of influence and payment flows within Plus Ultra before and after the 2021 loan differed from the official account. This increases the need to examine whether the conditions for approving the loan and the authorities’ oversight of the use of funds met legal requirements. Further confirmation through court decisions or publications by the Audiencia Nacional is still awaited.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).