Spanish PM's brother sentenced to 9 years disqualification from public office

David Sánchez, the brother of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has been handed a nine-year disqualification from public office by the Badajoz Court. The conviction stems from his role in the administrative prevarication concerning the renaming of his position within the Badajoz Provincial Council.

The court acquitted both David Sánchez and ten other defendants of influence peddling charges. However, Sánchez was found guilty of administrative prevarication related to the substantial transformation of his job title from 'coordinator of conservatories' to 'Head of the Performing Arts Office.' The sentence states this change was made to accommodate Sánchez's personal preferences and removed incompatibilities with his role.

The case, which began in 2024 following a complaint by the far-right organization Manos Limpias, has ignited a political firestorm in Spain. The Socialist party, currently in power, has accused the conservative and ultra-conservative opposition of fabricating charges based on misinformation for political gain. The former president of the Badajoz Provincial Council, Miguel Ángel Gallardo, received an 18-year disqualification in the same case for administrative prevarication in Sánchez's hiring and that of another individual.

Government spokesperson Elma Saiz expressed hope that higher courts would confirm David Sánchez's innocence on appeal. Meanwhile, the leader of the main opposition party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has remained a key figure in the political discourse surrounding the case.