The Government reiterates its support for Zapatero before his intervention on TVE and maintains the legality of the Plus Ultra rescue

The former President of the Government José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero will grant this Thursday his first television interview since he was charged in the investigation into the rescue of the airline Plus Ultra. The appearance comes after the case has taken a turn in recent days, following the statements before the judge by his old friend Julio Martínez Martínez, known as 'Julito', and by two company officials of the airline, who attributed to him a relevant role in the negotiations that preceded the granting of public aid worth 53 million euros.

On the eve of that interview, the third vice-president and Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, has expressed her confidence that the former president will "tell the truth" and answer "what is happening" to "all the questions he has." In statements to 'Cadena SER', the minister reiterated the position maintained by the Executive, which defends the presumption of innocence of the former socialist leader while the judicial investigation continues.

Aagesen has also downplayed the political impact of the case opened in the Audiencia Nacional and has assured that the judicial procedure does not condition the functioning of the Government nor alters the daily work of the ministers, despite the "constant noise" that, in her opinion, surrounds this matter. 

Regarding the procedure followed to authorize public aid, Aagesen has defended that the decisions adopted by the Management Council were based exclusively on technical criteria and on the documentation provided by the SEPI and by external advisors, in accordance with the requirements established by the European Commission during the pandemic. The vice-president insisted that "all reports supported compliance with the criteria" and were favorable to the granting of the 53 million euros destined for the airline.

Likewise, the minister regretted that leaks occurred about the rescue process and maintained that this information should have remained restricted to the Management Council and the SEPI teams. "This should not have happened," she stated, although she clarified that she learned of the existence of the rescue through the media and not during the internal processing of the file.