Court bans Spanish Prime Minister's wife from leaving the country

A Spanish court has issued an order preventing Begoña Gómez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, from leaving the country. The ruling, announced Saturday, requires Gómez to surrender her passport and appear in court twice a month until a verdict is reached in her case.

All border points, including civilian and military airports, have been instructed to enforce the travel ban. While no trial date has been set for the politically charged case, Judge Juan Carlos Peinado officially accused Gómez in April of embezzlement, influence peddling, and corruption in business dealings. The investigation, launched in April 2024, is scrutinizing whether Gómez leveraged her position as the Prime Minister's wife for personal gain.

Both Begoña Gómez and Pedro Sánchez have vehemently denied the accusations. Sánchez attributes the allegations to a political maneuver by right-wing opponents seeking to undermine his government. Opposition parties have called for his resignation amid the growing pressure on his minority coalition government. The case stems from a complaint filed by an anti-corruption group with ties to the far-right, and it is one of several potential corruption allegations ensnaring Sánchez's family and former colleagues.

The investigation is examining how a master's degree program at Madrid's Complutense University, which Gómez co-directed, was created and managed. It also probes potential abuses of public funds and personal connections used for private benefit. The allegations have intensified scrutiny on Sánchez's administration, which already faces challenges governing with a slim majority.