The Plus Ultra investigation has expanded its reach to encompass Alba and Laura Rodríguez Espinosa, daughters of former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, after Spain’s National Court traced financial movements and transfers connected to companies believed to be involved in an alleged network of influence peddling and money laundering.
Judicial investigators have identified the sisters as the formal directors of Whathefav, a communications and marketing agency that, according to Judge José Luis Calama, allegedly operated as a “final recipient company” within the structure under investigation. The company reportedly received significant sums of money from businesses currently being investigated, 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 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 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.
The UDEF conducted searches at Whathefav’s offices, where investigators confiscated computers, mobile phones, and corporate records to review fund traceability and the business connections linking 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 yet faced formal charges, the inquiry remains ongoing into potential crimes such as money laundering, document forgery, and involvement 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
