The PSOE backs Zapatero and leaves his future in the hands of Justice: "The truth will come to light"

The PSOE responded this Wednesday to new accusations that place José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero at the center of the efforts for the public rescue of Plus Ultra by reaffirming its support for the former President of the Government and appealing to the judicial investigation to clarify the facts. From Ferraz, they maintain that there is no reason to doubt the version offered by the former socialist leader and defend that it will be Justice who determines the scope of the accusations.

In an interview granted to Telecinco, the spokesperson for the PSOE, Montse Mínguez, assured that the party maintains "total" confidence in Zapatero and recalled that the former president has always defended that all his activities were lawful. "We have no reason to deny it," she affirmed, when asked about the information linking him to the operation and the alleged collection of a 1% commission.

Mínguez insisted that the procedure is still in the investigation phase and avoided drawing conclusions on the merits of the matter. As she explained, it is up to the courts to determine "what part of all this is true and what part of all this is false," while defending that "the truth will come to light."

The socialist spokesperson also referred to the information published by the newspaper 'ABC', in which Víctor de Aldama assures that emissaries of Minister Félix Bolaños and the former Secretary of Organization of the PSOE, Santos Cerdán, tried to buy his silence. Mínguez questioned the credibility of these statements and recalled that the head of the Presidency has already announced legal actions because he considers that the accusations lack evidence and damage his honor.

In the opinion of the socialist leader, Aldama's statements are part of a strategy to generate "a lot of noise" and "bring everything down." Likewise, she defended the integrity of Bolaños and denied any link between the minister and the commissioner.

The Executive claims the legality of the rescue

The government spokesperson, Elma Saiz, defended this Tuesday the Executive's actions in the rescue of Plus Ultra and assured that the procedure followed to grant public aid adhered at all times to legality. During the press conference after the Council of Ministers, the minister also reiterated that the government maintains its confidence in the former president and recalled the importance of respecting the presumption of innocence.  "We continue to believe in his innocence and we continue to defend the presumption of innocence," she declared. 

Saiz avoided commenting on the statements made by the businessmen investigated in the case and refused to assess the different versions that have appeared during the investigation. In her opinion, it is exclusively up to Justice to clarify the facts, while the Executive will continue to collaborate with the procedure when required.

The spokesperson also insisted that the loan file granted to Plus Ultra was processed in accordance with current regulations and recalled that the operation had technical and legal reports, in addition to having been reviewed by different national and European bodies, including the European Commission, the Court of Auditors and the Court of Justice of the European Union.