Spanish PM's wife Begoña Gómez to stand trial for influence peddling, corruption

Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, will face a jury trial on charges including influence peddling and private sector corruption. A judge has imposed precautionary measures, confiscating her passport and prohibiting her from leaving Spain, while requiring her to appear in court bi-weekly.

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rational indications of criminality of a criminal act

Investigating Magistrate Juan Carlos Peinado issued the order this Saturday, following a preliminary hearing where popular accusers, led by the ultraconservative organization Hazte Oír, requested these measures due to perceived flight risk. The Public Prosecutor's Office had opposed these actions.

Gómez is accused of influence peddling, private sector corruption, embezzlement, and misuse of public funds. Her advisor, Cristina Álvarez, and businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés also face charges related to influence peddling and private sector corruption. Sources close to the government described the judge's actions as "persecution" and "obsession," lacking legal basis and driven by political motives.

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the greater the gravity of the penalty, the more intense the temptation to flee may be and the greater the harm that, should the flight materialize, would be suffered by the purpose of preserving the action of justice.

The investigation began in April 2024 after the self-styled union Manos Limpias filed a complaint based on press reports concerning a public university chair Gómez co-directed. Judge Peinado stated that the investigation has uncovered "rational indications of criminality." He argued that the severity of potential penalties increases the temptation to flee, potentially undermining justice. The judge also suggested that Gómez's security detail could potentially facilitate an escape.

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those agents in a given moment can, either on their own initiative or following orders from their hierarchical superiors, be precisely those who collaborate in the action or actions that are carried out, to facilitate a 'flight' of the accused.