Spanish judicial authorities are investigating a suspected influence-peddling and money-laundering scheme involving Plus Ultra, a small airline that received a controversial state bailout, and former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. Court documents reveal that Judge Calama is tracing 40 companies, 110 financial transactions, and 60 individuals, with particular focus on two Venezuelan brothers from the Amaro Chacón family, linked to the oil industry, who allegedly transferred one million euros to companies in Zapatero's orbit; the ex-premier is said to have received 2.6 million euros across 174 transfers between 2020 and 2025. The case centres on whether Zapatero used his influence to help Plus Ultra — a niche carrier that held just 1.6% of Spain–Latin America air traffic in 2019 — secure a public rescue package it would not otherwise have qualified for.