Court Rejects David Sánchez's Request to Testify Again in Trial

The Provincial Court of Badajoz has denied a request by David Sánchez, the brother of Spain's Prime Minister, to testify again in his ongoing trial. Sánchez's defense team had asked for him to be allowed to speak again after prosecutors and other popular accusers increased their prison sentence demand from three to six years the previous week.

At the start of the court session, Sánchez's lawyer explained that he had not questioned his client about the process of awarding a position during the initial testimony, believing the matter to be statute-barred as per the court's order. However, following the shift in the prosecution's stance, the defense sought to re-examine Sánchez on this specific issue.

After a brief recess, the court ruled against the defense's petition. The judges determined that since there had been no change in the facts being tried, authorizing a new interrogation was not relevant. The trial, which concerns alleged irregularities in the 2017 awarding of a senior management position at the Badajoz provincial government to David Sánchez, is now heading towards its final stages.

The court has heard testimony from 42 witnesses and 11 defendants. The popular prosecution, represented by the pseudo-union Manos Limpias, has begun presenting its final arguments, asserting that officials at the Badajoz Provincial Council were aware the position was created specifically for the Prime Minister's brother.