The judicial probe surrounding the Plus Ultra case has brought María Gertrudis Alcázar, the longtime personal secretary and trusted aide of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, under sharp scrutiny, as the judge overseeing the National Court inquiry views her as a key participant in the alleged influence-peddling network tied 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 was allegedly assigned an essential operational function within the structure under scrutiny, with the ruling stating that she served as a core point for communications and document handling linked to the business and financial network currently under investigation.
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 increasing prominence in the case has led the Popular Party (PP) to call for her to appear before the Senate’s investigative commission reviewing SEPI’s management and the Plus Ultra bailout, as opposition members argue that her testimony might shed light on how various contacts and actions tied to the public aid package were handled.
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 provided by: ABC https://www.abc.es/espana/gertrudis-alcazar-sombra-zapatero-imputada-era-secretaria-20260522020711-nt.html
