The chairman of Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas, Julio Miguel Martínez Sola, along with the company’s chief executive officer (CEO), Roberto Roselli Miele, were taken into custody on Thursday during an operation spearheaded by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and executed by the National Police’s UDEF unit. The operation involved a search of the airline’s headquarters, where documents and digital storage devices were confiscated, as reported by legal sources referenced by multiple media outlets.
The inquiry, currently under secrecy of proceedings (sealed), is overseen by Madrid’s Court of Investigation No. 15 and centers on suspected money laundering. Prosecutors contend that public funds from the 2021 bailout provided to the airline—€53 million in total—might have been misappropriated.
Released under precautionary measures after appearing before the court
After being taken into custody, the executives were brought this Saturday before the courts in Madrid, where they appeared before the duty court (Investigating Court No. 13). The judge ordered their release under several precautionary conditions: handing over their passports, a ban on leaving Spain, and periodic check-ins with the court. According to the information made public, the suspects invoked their right to remain silent, a common decision in cases placed under confidentiality.
What violations are under investigation, and why is the public bailout implicated?
According to Cadena SER, the people detained are provisionally linked to offenses such as money laundering, misappropriation, and criminal organization, though the final legal classification will depend on the progress of the inquiry and on what emerges once the confidentiality order is lifted.
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 adds a relevant procedural point: Anti-Corruption prosecutors reportedly attempted to take the case initially to the National Court (Audiencia Nacional), which declined jurisdiction, and the complaint subsequently ended up before Investigating Court No. 15. It is also noted that a previous investigation into the bailout was shelved, and that this new line of inquiry has been opened as a separate case file, something the defence teams are already challenging.
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.
