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The judge investigating the 'Plus Ultra case', José Luis Calama, has summoned Julio Martínez Martínez – known as 'Julito' and described as the alleged testaferro (frontman) of former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero – to testify as a suspect on July 21 at 9:00 AM Source: Infobae. The case revolves around the €53 million public rescue of Plus Ultra airline during the pandemic, with allegations that Zapatero led a network that pocketed illegal commissions for influencing the approval Source: El Mundo.
According to investigators, Martínez Martínez, administrator of the firm Análisis Relevante SL, paid Zapatero around €490,000 for purported consultancy work and verbal contracts for generic reports Source: El Español. Police consider Martínez the 'visible face' and 'lacayo' of Zapatero, and they seized a contract showing a 1% commission for securing the government's rescue Source: El Mundo. Notebooks also contained references to Venezuelan state officials and state companies such as PDVSA Source: El Mundo. Zapatero, who testified on June 17, denied wrongdoing but his explanations did not convince the judge Source: El Español.
Martínez's lawyer, María Dolores Márquez de Prado – a former prosecutor known for defending Rosalía Iglesias in the Bárcenas case – will accompany him to the July 21 hearing Source: El Mundo. The judge continues to investigate whether the rescue was conditioned on illegal kickbacks.
“El juez de la Audiencia Nacional que investiga el 'caso Plus Ultra', José Luis Calama, ha citado como investigado al empresario Julio Martínez Martínez, amigo del expresidente del Gobierno José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, el próximo 21 de julio a las 9.00 horas.”
“Zapatero cobró unos 490.000 euros de esta sociedad por supuestas labores de consultoría. Además, como admitió el mismo ante el juez Calama, suscribió contratos 'verbales' para la elaboración de 'informes genéricos' destinados a clientes de Análisis Relevante.”
“La Unidad de Delincuencia Económica y Fiscal (Udef) intervino a Martínez Martínez el contrato para ejecutar el cobro de una comisión del 1 por ciento por haber logrado que el Consejo de Ministros que preside Pedro Sánchez rescatara a la aerolínea.”
“Se da la circunstancia de que en las libretas que le incautó la Policía a Martínez Martínez están repletas de anotaciones con 'referencias a altos cargos del estado venezolano' o 'de empresas estatales (como CVM, PDVSA, CVG)' directamente vinculadas a actividades de extracción de recursos naturales.”
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