Spain: PM's wife must face corruption trial, judge rules

Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, must face trial on corruption charges, a court order released Saturday stated. Gómez is accused of leveraging her position as the prime minister's wife to obtain work contracts. An investigating judge in Madrid found sufficient evidence to bring Gómez's case before a jury. The judge ordered her to surrender her passport, prohibited her from leaving Spain, and mandated she report to court twice monthly. Border posts and airports have been instructed to prevent her departure. A trial date has not yet been set. Sanchez's Socialist PSOE party reacted to the ruling on X, stating Gómez has been subjected to "judicial and political persecution for two years." The party views the court's decision as another step in this process. The case originated from a complaint filed by Manos Limpias, a legal pressure group. An investigation launched in April 2024 examined whether Gómez exploited her influence for private gain. The allegations center on an academic chair she co-directed at Madrid’s Complutense University and claims she used public resources and connections to benefit private business interests. Gómez faces formal charges including embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings, and misappropriation of funds. She denies all allegations, while Sanchez has consistently refused to resign or call early elections. This case is part of a broader pattern of corruption allegations impacting Sanchez's center-left minority government. Several senior figures close to Sanchez, including the PSOE's third-highest ranking official and a former transport minister, are also under investigation for alleged kickbacks related to public works, oil and gas deals, and COVID-19 mask procurement. All individuals involved deny any wrongdoing. Additionally, Spain's High Court is investigating former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero for allegedly heading a lobbying network that profited from influencing public authorities on behalf of third parties. Zapatero also denies these claims. These ongoing scandals threaten the stability of Sanchez's coalition government, which came to power in 2018 promising political reform.

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