The Plus Ultra investigation has widened its scope to include Alba and Laura Rodríguez Espinosa, daughters of former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, after Spain’s National Court identified financial transactions and transfers linked to companies suspected of forming part of an alleged influence-peddling and money laundering network.
Judicial investigators have pointed to the sisters as the official directors of Whathefav, a communications and marketing agency that Judge José Luis Calama says allegedly functioned as a final recipient company within the structure being examined, and it is believed that the firm obtained substantial payments from businesses now under scrutiny, including Análisis Relevante and Inteligencia Prospectiva.
According to court filings, investigators suspect that a portion of those funds might have been directed toward reallocating payments within Zapatero’s family circle, and Spain’s Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) believes that certain financial movements identified exhibit traits that could indicate potential concealment and redirection of money.
The investigation claims that Whathefav received nearly €1 million from several companies allegedly linked to the network under scrutiny. Some of those payments were reportedly justified as communication, design, and marketing services, although the judge is now examining whether genuine professional work existed to support the amounts invoiced.
One of the main focuses of the investigation is the financial relationship between Whathefav and Análisis Relevante, a consultancy owned by businessman Julio Martínez Martínez, a close associate of Zapatero who was arrested last December. According to investigators, the consultancy may have been used to channel funds connected to suspicious operations surrounding the Plus Ultra bailout.
Spain’s National Court is likewise investigating money transfers traced back to Inteligencia Prospectiva, a company the judge has characterized as “incongruent” because of its minimal stated business activity contrasted with its unusually large financial transactions. A portion of these funds reportedly ended up in accounts associated with the company owned by Zapatero’s daughters.
Searches carried out by the UDEF included Whathefav’s offices, where investigators seized computers, mobile phones, and corporate documentation to analyze the traceability of funds and the business relationships between the companies involved in the case.
The judge suspects that the supposed network headed by Zapatero may have relied on shell firms, broad invoicing practices, and fabricated records to legitimize money movements and hide the true source of specific payments, and within that setup, his daughters’ company is said to emerge as one of the ultimate beneficiaries of those funds.
Although Alba and Laura Rodríguez Espinosa have not been formally charged at this stage, the investigation remains open regarding possible offenses including money laundering, document falsification, and participation in a criminal organization.
As the judicial process continues, Zapatero’s inner circle maintains that all of his daughters’ professional activities were legal and properly declared.
Original Source: Onda Cero https://www.ondacero.es/noticias/espana/que-papel-tienen-hijas-zapatero-empresa-whathefav-presunta-trama-plus-ultra_202605206a0d920d3e118765937df2f0.html
