It was in March 2020, with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, that Plus Ultra executives began considering the need to “access the aid” and, at the same time, to knock on the right doors at the “political level” to obtain it. A conversation between the airline’s then owner and vice president, Rodolfo Reyes and Julio Martínez Sola, respectively, shows the involvement —at least in an advisory capacity at an early stage— of Delcy Rodríguez, who was formerly Venezuela’s number two. “Delcy, have her call Ábalos,” the first told the second. “Or someone with Zapatero,” added his vice president.
This appears in a report by the Central Unit for Economic and Fiscal Crime (UDEF) that records communications sent by the United States to Spanish authorities as part of police cooperation between the two countries. This file, which EL PAÍS has had access to, provides details of the main lines already flagged by National Court judge José Luis Calama regarding the alleged existence of an influence-peddling network led by former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero that would have disguised illicit commissions through a corporate structure members of the alleged scheme referred to as a “financial boutique.”
In the indictment order made public this week, the investigating judge explained that Plus Ultra executives explored two routes to obtain the 53 million euro (61.5 million dollar) bailout that ultimately arrived in March 2021, a year after the alleged corrupt actions began. However, this police file reveals that those actions were allegedly guided by Rodríguez, the current president of Venezuela.
“Do you have any idea how we get to the political channels, aid issues, financing, etc.?” Reyes asked Martínez Sola on March 30, 2020. “Roberto was telling me about it; I’ve put it out through two channels,” he replied. “Delcy, have her call Ábalos,” the airline owner specified. “Or someone with Zapatero,” his vice president added. At that point, Reyes asked whether that was the right approach. “Is that ‘gentleman’ any use?” he asked. “He’s pro‑Sánchez,” his subordinate answered. “And pro‑Maduro,” Reyes conceded. “The end justifies the means,” he concluded.
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