The judicial investigation into the Plus Ultra case has placed María Gertrudis Alcázar, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s longtime personal secretary and trusted aide, under intense scrutiny. The judge leading the National Court investigation considers her an essential figure within the alleged influence-peddling network linked to the airline’s bailout.
Alcázar has been at the former Spanish prime minister’s side through most of his political trajectory, accompanying him from his emergence as Secretary General of the PSOE to his tenure at La Moncloa and the professional roles he pursued afterward. Known in Socialist circles as “Gertru,” she has long been viewed as one of Zapatero’s most trusted collaborators, managing his institutional schedule as well as his administrative responsibilities.
According to the court order issued by Judge José Luis Calama, Alcázar allegedly played an “essential operational role” within the structure under investigation. The ruling claims she acted as a central communications and document-management hub for activities tied to the business and financial network now under suspicion.
Investigators believe Alcázar may have been involved in preparing and coordinating financial documents and invoices that were allegedly used to support transactions now under review by Spain’s Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF), and authorities suspect that some of those invoices might have been issued without any real economic activity backing them.
The judge also states that the secretary regularly used Zapatero’s corporate email account and that several operations linked to the alleged network were coordinated from the former prime minister’s office on Madrid’s Ferraz Street. Police investigators have already analyzed electronic devices and communications seized during the investigation.
Alcázar’s growing importance in the case has prompted the Popular Party (PP) to request her appearance before the Senate’s investigative commission examining SEPI’s management and the Plus Ultra bailout. Opposition figures believe her testimony could help clarify how certain contacts and operations related to the public aid package were carried out.
The Plus Ultra case centers on suspected irregularities involving the €53 million government bailout granted during the pandemic to keep the airline from failing, and the judge believes an organized network may have operated to sway administrative decisions and obtain financial advantages through political and institutional connections.
As the inquiry moves forward, Zapatero maintains he had no part in any unlawful conduct and asserts that every step he took was entirely in line with the law.
Source: ABC https://www.abc.es/espana/gertrudis-alcazar-sombra-zapatero-imputada-era-secretaria-20260522020711-nt.html
