Judge summons Begoña Gómez to preliminary hearing before possible trial

Judge Juan Carlos Peinado has summoned Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, to a preliminary hearing that could clear the way for a criminal trial. He set the hearing for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, barely 24 hours after notifying the parties.

The rushed timetable has already raised doubts among defense lawyers. Some believe the hearing could be suspended because the parties had so little time to prepare. The hearing is required under Spain’s Jury Court Act after defendants submit their written defenses, allowing the parties to argue whether the case should proceed to trial.

Peinado’s two-page order, dated Monday, acknowledged the defenses filed by Gómez and by Cristina Álvarez, her aide at La Moncloa, who is also being prosecuted. Gómez is seeking acquittal and denies using influence over any authority to help create the extraordinary chair she co-directed at the Complutense University of Madrid.

The hearing could include additional investigative steps, such as witness testimony, if the parties request them. Peinado has rejected all the proposals submitted so far, although the law allows new requests during the hearing itself. He specifically rejected Gómez’s lawyer’s request to question José Manuel Ruano De La Fuente, a Complutense professor and co-director of the chair under scrutiny, saying the testimony was not essential to decide whether to open a trial.

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It is not considered essential to decide whether to open the trial.