The Spanish airline Plus Ultra is under investigation in Spain for alleged money laundering connected to Nicolás Maduro's regime. The company, which operates flights from Colombia, received questioned public funds that may have supported illicit activities linked to Venezuela. Authorities have arrested executives and are examining diversions to accounts in Europe and beyond.
The airline Plus Ultra, operating in Colombia and Latin America, is at the heart of a judicial probe in Spain for money laundering. In 2021, amid the pandemic, the company was deemed strategic and received 53 million euros in state aid, despite insolvency since 2019. This sparked doubts in 2023, leading to an initial investigation that was shelved due to deadlines, but it resurfaced in 2025 with graver allegations.
Venezuelan shareholders close to figures like Delcy Rodríguez and Cilia Flores are said to have influenced the company's structure. Part of the funds went to settle a debt with Venezuela's state oil firm Pdvsa. On December 11, 2025, owner Julio Martínez Sola, executive director Roberto Roselli, businessman Julio Martínez Martínez, and a lawyer were detained. After two days, they were released with restrictions: no leaving the country, passport surrender, and weekly court appearances.
The Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office is checking if public money flowed to accounts in France and Switzerland, stemming from Venezuela's Clap food program and gold from the Central Bank. European prosecutorial collaborations confirm these ties, opening probes into simulated gold trades in Panama and the United Arab Emirates. The case, under secrecy, includes audits of Plus Ultra and related firms like Snip Aviation and Fly Spain. A Senate commission seeks further details.
Alicia García, a senator from the Popular Party, stated: “Spaniards deserve to know if their money was used to subsidize a narco-dictatorship through this bailout, directing funds to pay the debt with the state oil company.”
In Colombia, Plus Ultra flies three times weekly between Bogotá and Madrid since 2022 via APG, with plans to grow its fleet to 10 aircraft by 2027, though the probe may impact them. Its Venezuela license was revoked late 2025, suspending routes awaiting review.
