The Plus Ultra investigation has introduced a fresh avenue of scrutiny carrying political and corporate repercussions in Bolivia and Peru, as a report from Spain’s Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) indicates that former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero allegedly sought to mediate with Bolivian authorities on behalf of Gloria Group, the Peruvian conglomerate that owns Sociedad Boliviana de Cemento, SOBOCE.
According to the police report cited by Spanish media, Zapatero allegedly received 200,000 euros through a consultancy agreement that investigators suspect may have been a sham arrangement. The payments were reportedly routed through Focus Social Research, a Peruvian company formally presented as the contracting party, although the UDEF maintains that the operation was linked to Gloria Group’s business interests.
At the center of the controversy is a major legal dispute in Bolivia. Since 2011, SOBOCE had been involved in litigation with Fábrica Nacional de Cemento, FANCESA, over alleged unfair competition. After years of legal proceedings, Bolivian courts upheld a ruling ordering the cement company linked to Gloria Group to pay 107 million dollars. That decision was later provisionally suspended following a constitutional appeal.
In this context, the UDEF asserts that Zapatero relied on political ties with high-ranking Bolivian authorities, including then-President Luis Arce, several cabinet members and individuals linked to the economic and judicial sectors. Police findings indicate that these actions involved holding meetings, exchanging communications and undertaking a trip to Bolivia in September 2024.
The report also highlights Carmen Almendras, previously Bolivia’s ambassador to Spain, as one of the intermediaries involved in the initial outreach. It further notes that Ana María Ospina, Gloria Group’s corporate affairs director, took part in the discussions leading up to the consultancy agreement. According to investigators, messages, schedules and bank transfers were examined as part of the inquiry.
Spanish media have portrayed the chain of events — the interactions with Bolivian authorities, the temporary halt of the decision against SOBOCE, and the subsequent payments — as a key component in the police theory connecting the supposed mediation with Gloria Group’s business interests. Still, the case is under judicial review, and no definitive judgment has assigned criminal responsibility.
Zapatero’s circle has denied any wrongdoing and has defended the legality of his professional activities. Meanwhile, the case has triggered political and judicial repercussions in both Spain and Bolivia, where the final decision of the Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal on the dispute between FANCESA and SOBOCE remains pending.
Origin: Infobae — ABC
