Fourth detainee in Plus Ultra case appears before judge

Sources close to the investigation have indicated to ABC that there is a fourth detainee who also appeared before the judge this Saturday. Legal sources consulted and present at this Saturday's hearing indicate that the suspects have invoked their right to remain silent. Some reports then suggested that it was the direct intervention of former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero that ultimately allowed for the rescue to take place. The Spanish company was bailed out by the government and has been noted for its ties to the Venezuelan regime. The third detainee, arrested just a day later, is businessman Julio Martínez Martínez, who has no employment ties to the airline but is implicated in the case, which investigates a money laundering offense. ABC had already reported at the beginning of this year that the Anti-Corruption Unit believed that the public bailout was used for a money laundering scheme operating from Mauritius. The judge in charge of Madrid's Investigating Court No. 13, Alfredo Barrera, agreed this Saturday to provisionally release the detainees in the Plus Ultra case, with precautionary measures including passport confiscation, a ban on leaving the national territory, and an obligation to appear in court every two weeks. Within this operation by the Economic and Financial Crime Unit (UDEF), the two top executives of the Plus Ultra airline, the company's owner, Julio Martínez, and the CEO, Roberto Roselli, were detained last Thursday. However, Martínez Martínez reportedly told his lawyer that, as a businessman, he had limited himself to providing services to Plus Ultra. Following the hearings, the judge has also decided to recuse himself in favor of the judge in charge of Investigating Court No. 15, Esperanza Collazos, who is handling the case. The proceedings remain secret. The Bailout The airline under investigation received a bailout of 53 million euros from the SEPI in 2021, an operation that was mired in controversy.