A Spanish judge has ruled that Begoña Gómez, the wife of socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, must stand trial on corruption charges and has barred her from leaving the country. Gómez, 55, faces accusations of embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings, and misappropriation of funds following a two-year investigation.
Gómez denies any wrongdoing in the case, which originated from a complaint by Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), a self-styled trade union with far-right ties. Judge Juan Carlos Peinado ordered Gómez to surrender her passport, prohibited her from leaving Spain, and mandated that she report to court twice a month, according to a court order released on Saturday. She will face a trial by jury at an unspecified date.
Sánchez Dismisses Case as Politically Motivated
Prime Minister Sánchez has repeatedly dismissed the allegations against his wife as baseless and politically motivated. An outspoken leftist leader in Europe, Sánchez has accused his political and media adversaries of targeting his family and has openly questioned the impartiality of some members of the judiciary.
The Socialist party swiftly responded to the judge's decision, posting on X: “(Begoña) has been subjected to judicial and political persecution for two years. Today’s development is another step in that process.”
Broader Corruption Investigations Plague Sánchez
This case is one of several corruption probes that have dogged Sánchez since he took office in 2018, pledging to eradicate the graft that had tarnished the ruling conservative People’s Party (PP). Now, multiple investigations into Sánchez’s family and former top political allies threaten to destabilize his government.
While Sánchez has not been named in any of the cases, his brother David is accused of influence peddling, and former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos is alleged to have taken kickbacks on public contracts. Both deny the accusations.
One of the most potentially damaging investigations involves former socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, a heavyweight of the Spanish left, who was placed under investigation last month for alleged influence peddling. Zapatero, who served as prime minister from 2004 to 2011, defended his innocence during hearings this week.
Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.
