The chairman of Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas, Julio Miguel Martínez Sola, and the company’s chief executive officer (CEO), Roberto Roselli Miele, were arrested on Thursday as part of an operation led by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and carried out by the National Police’s UDEF unit. The operation included a search of the airline’s headquarters and the seizure of documents and digital storage devices, according to legal sources cited by several media outlets.
The investigation, which is under secrecy of proceedings (sealed), is being handled by Madrid’s Court of Investigation No. 15 and revolves around alleged money laundering. Prosecutors argue that public funds from the 2021 bailout granted to the airline—€53 million in total—may have been misused.
After appearing before the court, released under precautionary measures
After being held in custody, the executives were taken this Saturday to the courts in Madrid, where they appeared before the duty court (Investigating Court No. 13). The judge ordered their release under precautionary measures: passport surrender, a ban on leaving Spain, and periodic court check-ins. According to the information published, the suspects exercised their right to remain silent, a common decision in proceedings that have been declared confidential.
What violations are under investigation, and why is the public bailout implicated?
According to Cadena SER, the individuals in custody are tentatively accused of crimes like money laundering, misappropriation, and criminal organization. However, the ultimate legal categorization will hinge on how the investigation unfolds and what becomes evident once the confidentiality order is revoked.
The core of the case—always on the basis of preliminary indications and according to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s complaint—would be the alleged channelling of illicit funds originating in Venezuela through structures in Europe, with a possible temporal link to fund movements following the bailout. In the Prosecutor’s narrative, possible sources of illicit funds include payments connected to Venezuelan public programs (such as CLAP) and transactions related to gold.
Cadena SER introduces a significant procedural detail: Anti-Corruption prosecutors are said to have initially tried to bring the case to the National Court (Audiencia Nacional), which refused jurisdiction, leading the complaint to ultimately land in Investigating Court No. 15. Additionally, it is mentioned that an earlier investigation into the bailout was dismissed, and this fresh line of inquiry has been initiated as a separate case file, a move that the defense teams are already contesting.
Who are Julio Miguel Martínez Sola and Roberto Roselli Miele?
In public corporate registry records, the name Julio Miguel Martínez Sola is associated with Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas, S.A. Meanwhile, Roberto Roselli Miele is listed by his full name in the airline’s corporate documents, including the 2024 notice calling for the General Shareholders’ Meeting, which specifically mentions the “Appointment of the Board Member, Mr. Roberto Roselli Miele.”
With the suspects released under precautionary measures, the case enters a more technical phase: analysis of the seized material, tracing transactions and the flow of funds, and potentially further summonses or an expansion of charges if evidence is consolidated. As long as the proceedings remain sealed, evidentiary details will largely be limited to what emerges from judicial sources and to the court decisions that become public.
