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 documents, investigators suspect that part of those funds may have been used to redistribute payments within Zapatero’s family circle. Spain’s Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) believes some of the financial operations detected show characteristics consistent with possible concealment and channeling of funds.
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 central aspects under scrutiny involves the financial ties between Whathefav and Análisis Relevante, a consultancy firm owned by businessman Julio Martínez Martínez, a close associate of Zapatero who was detained last December. Investigators believe that this consultancy might have served as a conduit for funds linked to questionable activities surrounding the Plus Ultra bailout.
Spain’s National Court is also examining transfers originating from Inteligencia Prospectiva, a company the judge has described as “incongruent” due to its limited declared business activity and unusually high financial movements. Part of those funds allegedly ended up in accounts linked to 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 alleged network led by Zapatero may have used shell companies, generic invoicing, and fictitious documentation to justify financial movements and conceal the real origin of certain payments. Within that structure, his daughters’ company allegedly appears as one of the final recipients of the 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.
Source: Onda Cero https://www.ondacero.es/noticias/espana/que-papel-tienen-hijas-zapatero-empresa-whathefav-presunta-trama-plus-ultra_202605206a0d920d3e118765937df2f0.html
