Black Monday for Spanish socialism due to one of its major corruption cases

While Spain continues to celebrate the victory of the Spanish national team in the 2026 World Cup, Spanish socialism is experiencing a black Monday.

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Yesterday marked two months since the judicial indictment of the socialist José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who was president of the Spanish government between 2004 and 2011, as the alleged leader of "a stable and hierarchical influence-peddling structure" whose purpose is "to obtain economic benefits through intermediation and the exercise of influence before public bodies in favor of third parties, mainly Plus Ultra", as indicated by the National Court, which is investigating this case.

Let us remember that Plus Ultra is a Spanish airline with significant ties to the socialist dictatorship of Venezuela and that it received an irregular bailout from the Sánchez government. The National Court has confirmed the existence of "an organized network of illicit influence peddling, structurally organized and led by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who allegedly used his personal contacts and access to high-ranking officials in the Administration to benefit third parties interested in obtaining favorable decisions."

The Sánchez government and the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) have repeatedly expressed their support for Zapatero following his indictment. As a result, Spanish socialism has suffered a double blow today related to this case. First, Zapatero's alleged front man, Julio Martínez Martínez, has admitted that the former president sold his influence with the government for 1% of the Plus Ultra bailout.

There had been speculation for some time that his front man would eventually turn against Zapatero, a possibility that became more likely after Víctor de Aldama avoided prison after cooperating with the Justice system in the Koldo Case, for which the former Socialist Minister of Transport, José Luis Ábalos, was sentenced a month ago by the Supreme Court to 24 years and 3 months in prison for a total of nine crimes. The Aldama precedent was surely what set off alarm bells in the socialist ranks at the possibility that others involved in their corruption cases might begin to cooperate with the Justice system, and that is why the socialist propaganda networks staged a scandal over that case.

While the Socialist ranks were still reeling from the blow of Julio Martínez's statement, another major piece of news broke: Plus Ultra executives have also decided to cooperate with the Justice system and have admitted to paying a "bribe" to Zapatero to "save the company." They did so through two written statements in which they explain that they paid a 1% commission to access the state bailout.

For Sánchez's cabinet, this is a major blow. These statements confirm that the government decided to grant an irregular bailout to an airline that did not deserve it, following mediation by Zapatero, for which the former prime minister allegedly received a 1% commission on the bailout amount.

The government, the PSOE, and their affiliated media have spent years denying this corruption scandal, dismissing it as a "hoax" and a "smear," and attacking the journalists and media outlets that brought it to light. Now, what Spanish socialism so vehemently denied has finally been confirmed by two of the parties involved. In addition to the potential legal repercussions for Zapatero, it's possible that members of the government could also be charged in this case, which directly affects Pedro Sánchez's administration, plunging it even further into the quagmire of corruption.

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Photo: PSOE. Pedro Sánchez and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero talking at a PSOE event in Barcelona on May 26, 2023.