Air Europa rescue support withdrawn by Aldama, as evident in an unshared Koldo audio, according to UCO's omitted report, regarding Begoña Gomez.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government bailout of Air Europa has become embroiled in a scandal involving allegations of bribery and corruption. The controversy centers around Begonia Gómez, wife of the Prime Minister of Spain, and businessman Víctor de Aldama.
According to leaked recordings and investigative reports from July 2025, approximately €620,000 in bribes were allegedly orchestrated by Santos Cerdan and funneled through political figures, linked to the bailout process of Air Europa. These payments were reportedly connected to the involvement of intermediaries and political operatives, suggesting a corrupt orchestration behind the scenes of the bailout[1].
While the specific direct role of Begonia Gómez and Víctor de Aldama has not been fully detailed in the available sources, the scandal is named to include implications of those close to political power, hinting at a connection through Gómez's relationship to the Prime Minister. Víctor de Aldama, a businessman, is allegedly involved, though the nature of his participation or benefit has not been clearly spelled out in the information at hand[1].
The operation of the Air Europa rescue was supervised "with dots and commas" by SEPI and by the consultancy PwC. The SEPI approved the operation, with SEPI hiring Pricewaterhouse, an external auditor, to also give the green light and prevent any potential misuse of funds[2].
Businessman Víctor de Aldama sent a message to Koldo García denying any involvement of Begonia Gómez in the Air Europa rescue operation. Aldama expresses concern that is transmitted from Globalia regarding the information published in the media about a supposed intervention by Gómez. Aldama states that there was no pressure regarding Gómez, and nothing true about her involvement in the Air Europa rescue operation[3].
Investigations have revealed that Begonia Gómez works at IE and handles the Africa issue. Wakalua, a tourist innovation center that belongs to the company Globalia, has developed two 'start-up' that come from the competition that was done in Africa and with the people that Begonya brought[4].
The controversy is part of a larger pattern of corruption scandals tied to COVID-related bailouts in Spain, reflecting deep concerns about misuse of government funds intended to support companies during the pandemic[1].
The Government sees the exclusion of the audio disassociating Begonya Gómez from Air Europa in the UCO report as "tendentious". The more than 16 GB of audios that the UCO discarded came from a recorder. Santos Cerdán, imputed in the Koldo case, requested to know all the metadata to verify if the recordings could have been altered[5].
Several ministers have publicly demanded that the PP apologize for their campaign against Begonya Gómez. Pepe Hidalgo, the owner of Air Europa, put all his guarantees, including hotels, into the operation. The operation was open since March or April of 2020 and was completed in November[6].
The judge has agreed to facilitate all this information to the parties. The investigation into the Air Europa bailout controversy continues, with limited public verified detail currently available.
[1] Source: El País [2] Source: El Mundo [3] Source: ABC [4] Source: La Vanguardia [5] Source: El Confidencial [6] Source: Cadena SER
- The scandal surrounding the Air Europa bailout, involving the alleged use of bribes, has raised significant questions about the role of politics and policy-and-legislation in business finance, as the money was intended to support companies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Despite the ongoing investigation, it remains unclear how businessman Víctor de Aldama and Begonia Gómez, wife of the Prime Minister of Spain, are directly connected to the Air Europa bailout, yet their proximity to political power fuels speculations of possible influence.
- Amidst the controversy, the average citizen is left wondering about the transparency of general-news and the accountability of political figures, as well as the business sector, in shaping policy-and-legislation and managing finance during times of crisis.
