Introduction
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is navigating through a murky swamp of corruption that seems to surface every third day. Two prominent figures from his socialist party, PSOE – José Luis Ábalos and Santos Cerdán – are under investigation and have spent time in jail. Ábalos remains behind bars for posing a flight risk due to his involvement in the mask business during the pandemic.
José Luis Ábalos and Corruption
As the former Minister of Transportation, Ábalos left a trail of corruption and connections to Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship. Ábalos and Sánchez violated EU community laws when they facilitated the arrival of Delcy Rodríguez, a Maduro regime enforcer, at Madrid’s Barajas airport, despite EU sanctions against the regime and Rodríguez’s travel restrictions.
The Case of Plus Ultra
Another close associate of Pedro Sánchez, former President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, is implicated in aiding Maduro’s dictatorship money laundering. The Unidad de Delincuencia Económica y Fiscal (UDEF) raided Plus Ultra airline’s Madrid office and arrested two high-ranking officials, Julio Martínez and Roberto Roselli, along with businessman Julio Martínez. The Minister Publico believes that the €53 million government injection into Plus Ultra in March 2021 was used for money laundering from Venezuela.
The Fiscalía suspects that Venezuelan officials misappropriated funds from the Comités Locales de Abastecimiento y Producción (CLAP), a food distribution program sold to Venezuela by Mexican companies.
Zapatero’s Involvement
In January 2020, Zapatero criticized the author in El Economista’s offices for his critiques of Maduro’s dictatorship and claimed the author lacked understanding of Venezuela’s true situation. Despite the author’s personal experiences in Venezuela, Zapatero defended Maduro.
Silence on María Corina Machado
Sánchez employed the infamous “without words” tactic to avoid addressing Nobel Peace Prize nominee María Corina Machado.
Key Questions and Answers
- Who is Pedro Sánchez? Pedro Sánchez is the current Prime Minister of Spain, leading the Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE).
- What are the corruption allegations against Sánchez? Sánchez faces accusations of corruption due to his associates’ involvement in various scandals, including mask profiteering during the pandemic and connections to Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship.
- Who are José Luis Ábalos and Santos Cerdán? Both are former PSOE secretaries-general closely linked to Sánchez, under investigation for corruption and jailed.
- What is the Plus Ultra case? The Plus Ultra case involves money laundering allegations, with the government injecting €53 million into the airline. The Fiscalía suspects misappropriation of CLAP funds by Venezuelan officials.
- What is José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s role? The former Spanish President is accused of aiding Maduro’s dictatorship money laundering efforts.
