Yolanda Díaz increases pressure on Zapatero and demands explanations after 'Julito's' statement

The declaration of 'Julito' has forced the Government to once again comment on José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and has left two different tones within the Council of Ministers. The Executive spokesperson, Elma Saiz, has reiterated her confidence in the innocence of the former president, while Yolanda Díaz has demanded that he publicly explain his business dealings and his relationship with the rescue of Plus Ultra.

The second vice-president has avoided commenting on the specific content of the judicial procedure and has advocated for the courts to work with serenity. Even so, she has acknowledged that the information known in recent hours has caused "unease, sadness, and much concern" among citizens. "What we do say in our political space is that President Zapatero must give explanations," Díaz stated during the press conference after the Council of Ministers.

Her position introduces a clear difference from the message maintained until now by the socialist wing of the Executive. Díaz shares the defense of the presumption of innocence, but considers it insufficient to wait for the investigation to conclude to know what work Zapatero did, how he was paid for it, and what role he played regarding the airline.

"There is sadness and unease among citizens"

Yolanda Díaz recalled that she has never commented on judicial summaries, not even when Alberto Núñez Feijóo presided over the Xunta de Galicia. As she explained, doing so without knowing the full content of an investigation would be irresponsible. Procedural prudence has not prevented her from demanding political answers. The vice-president has separated the criminal process from the duty to offer explanations to public opinion, especially at a time when various corruption investigations affect former and current socialist leaders.

"We would gain in democracy if we let the courts work with silence and respect," she defended before reiterating that Zapatero must clarify what happened.

The Sumar leader has adhered to the defense of the presumption of innocence expressed by Saiz, although she has avoided stating that she believes in the innocence of the former president. That word was expressly used by the minister spokesperson.

Compromís takes the explanations all the way to Pedro Sánchez

The deputy spokesperson for Sumar in Congress and Compromís deputy, Alberto Ibáñez, has gone much further than the vice president. The spokesperson has described Zapatero's situation as "politically untenable" and has warned that he may have crossed the line between interest representation work and the collection of commissions.

"The fine line between lobbying and commissionism could have been crossed by former president Zapatero," he said during an appearance in Congress.

Ibáñez has demanded explanations from Zapatero himself, the PSOE, and Pedro Sánchez. He wants them to clarify whether the former president received part of the 1% commission linked to the 53 million euros granted to Plus Ultra and what the Government knew about the people working around the operation.

The Compromís deputy has also asked that the focus extend to those who pay to obtain favors or open institutional doors. "There is no corruption without corruptors," he recalled when mentioning Julio Martínez and the airline's executives.

In his opinion, the document presented by 'Julito' and its ratification before the judge have a political gravity that the PSOE cannot ignore. Ibáñez has also demanded that the regulation of interest groups be unblocked to more clearly define advisory activities and actions carried out before administrations.

'Julito' maintains his accusation, but leaves questions unanswered

The political statements came after Julio Martínez Martínez appeared for more than three hours before Judge José Luis Calama. The businessman has ratified the document presented on Monday, in which he attributed to Zapatero the real direction of the work carried out by the consultancy Análisis Relevante.

Martínez has maintained that the former president attracted clients and "set the steps to follow," while he assumed administrative tasks and served as an interlocutor with companies. He has also maintained that Zapatero was informed of the dealings related to Plus Ultra.

According to his account, it was the former head of the Executive who informed him that the airline's executives were going to contact him. Later, he would have anticipated that the public financing request would receive a favorable response, days before the formal approval by the Council of Ministers.

'Julito' has confirmed the existence of a remuneration equivalent to 1% of the rescue, around 530,000 euros, linked to obtaining the aid. The writings sent by the president and the then financial director of Plus Ultra also include that percentage and acknowledge high payments through several companies.

The interrogation has left, however, important gaps. Martínez has not been able to specify with whom Zapatero spoke within the Government, SEPI or any other institution. Nor has he described a precise management that would demonstrate how the former president would have influenced the administrative decision.

The Plus Ultra executives have also admitted that they lack direct knowledge about the specific actions carried out before the Administration. They hired the services due to Martínez's relationship with Zapatero and the capacity for dialogue they attributed to the former president.

The version clashes with Zapatero's statement

The story known in recent hours contradicts several points of the statement made by Zapatero in June. The former president then denied having spoken with political authorities or officials to favor the rescue and rejected having collected a commission for the concession of the 53 million.

Zapatero acknowledged that he put those responsible for Plus Ultra in contact with Banco Santander when the company was initially looking for a loan guaranteed by the ICO. He also admitted professional work for Análisis Relevante, but he disassociated them from the file subsequently approved by SEPI.

'Julito' now places the former president at the head of the strategy and monitoring of the operation, although his testimony has not yet revealed what the channel of influence used would have been. The judge will have to contrast the statements with the intercepted messages, contracts, invoices and economic movements examined by the Police. Zapatero maintains his innocence and has appealed several decisions adopted during the investigation.

Moncloa maintains support and defends the file

Elma Saiz has received up to eight questions on the matter after the Council of Ministers. Her response has maintained the line set by the Government since Zapatero was cited as under investigation. "We continue to defend Zapatero's presumption of innocence and we continue to believe in his innocence," said the minister spokesperson. Saiz has refused to comment on the versions or defense strategies of the different investigated parties and has reminded that the case is still in an initial phase.

The spokesperson has also insisted that the procedure followed to grant the public loan was correct. She cited the controls of the technical and legal services of SEPI, the review carried out by a Madrid court, the monitoring by the European Commission, and the auditing by the Court of Accounts.

The Executive's defense focuses on the administrative processing of the bailout. Calama's investigation examines the private dealings surrounding the operation, the advisory contracts, and the destination of the payments made by the company.

Saiz has assured that the Government provides full cooperation to Justice and has avoided answering about other elements of the open cases around the former president, including the origin of the jewels seized during the search of his office.

Pressure shifts to the political arena

Yolanda Díaz's request for explanations comes at an especially uncomfortable time for the PSOE. Zapatero retains influence within the party, regularly participates in electoral campaigns, and has acted in recent years as one of Pedro Sánchez's main public defenders.

The Government's support remains intact, although the alternative left is beginning to demand a greater level of transparency than that offered so far. Compromís's position also broadens the focus from the former president to the current head of the Executive and the party that approved the bailout.

The case remains open and none of the statements of the investigated parties have been accredited by a judicial resolution. The known versions are part of defense strategies that will have to be verified during the investigation.

Zapatero will now have to decide whether to publicly respond to the requests made by the Government itself. Yolanda Díaz has already made it clear that the presumption of innocence does not close the need to explain what he did around Plus Ultra and why he received money from the companies linked to 'Julito'.