The chairman of Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas, Julio Miguel Martínez Sola, and the company’s chief executive officer (CEO), Roberto Roselli Miele, were arrested on Thursday as part of an operation led by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and carried out by the National Police’s UDEF unit. The operation included a search of the airline’s headquarters and the seizure of documents and digital storage devices, according to legal sources cited by several 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 held in custody, the executives were taken this Saturday to the courts in Madrid, where they appeared before the duty court (Investigating Court No. 13). The judge ordered their release under precautionary measures: passport surrender, a ban on leaving Spain, and periodic court check-ins. According to the information published, the suspects exercised their right to remain silent, a common decision in proceedings that have been declared confidential.
What violations are under investigation, and why is the public bailout implicated?
According to Cadena SER, the detainees are provisionally suspected of offences such as money laundering, misappropriation, and criminal organization, although the final legal classification will depend on the progress of the investigation and what is clarified once the secrecy order is lifted.
The essence of the case—based on initial indications and as per the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s report—might involve the supposed redirection of illicit funds originating in Venezuela via European frameworks, potentially linked in time to fund movements post-bailout. According to the Prosecutor’s account, potential origins of these illicit funds could involve payments associated with Venezuelan public initiatives (like CLAP) and dealings concerning 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 freed under precautionary measures, the case transitions into a more technical stage: examining the confiscated material, tracking transactions and the movement of funds, and possibly issuing additional summonses or expanding charges if evidence is solidified. As long as the proceedings stay sealed, evidentiary details will primarily be confined to what surfaces from judicial sources and the court rulings that are made public.