Spain: PM's Wife Begona Gomez Ordered to Stand Trial on Corruption Charges

Begona Gomez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, must face trial on corruption charges, a Madrid court ordered in a ruling released Saturday. The investigating judge, Juan Carlos Peinado, has instructed Gomez to surrender her passport, prohibited her from leaving the country, and mandated her to report to court twice monthly.

Gomez is accused of leveraging her status as the prime minister's wife to secure work contracts and allegedly exploiting her position to advance private business interests. The investigation centers on an academic chair she co-directed at Madrid's Complutense University and allegations of using public resources and connections improperly. She faces charges including embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings, and misappropriation of funds, all of which she denies.

The case was initiated by Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), a legal pressure group with ties to the far-right. The investigation began in April 2024. Sanchez's Socialist PSOE party has decried the proceedings, stating on X that Gomez has been subjected to "judicial and political persecution." This legal challenge is one of several corruption cases that have ensnared members of Sanchez's center-left minority government.

These investigations extend to other senior figures close to Sanchez, including former ministers implicated in alleged kickbacks related to public works contracts and other deals. The fragile coalition government, which came to power in 2018, faces significant pressure from these ongoing scandals, threatening its stability.

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She has been subjected to judicial and political ⁠persecution ​for two years. Today's development is another step ​in that process.