Madrid court orders trial for Pedro Sánchez's wife

A court in Madrid has confirmed that Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, will stand trial on charges of influence peddling and misuse of public funds. However, the court dropped the corruption charge and lifted the ban preventing her from leaving Spain, according to AFP.

According to the court's ruling, reviewed by AFP, Gómez will be tried before a jury, as requested by the judge who has been leading the investigation for nearly two years. A trial date has not yet been set, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

The investigation was launched in April 2024 to determine whether Gómez used her position as the prime minister's wife for personal gain—allegations that both she and Pedro Sánchez deny.

Prosecutors claim that Gómez used her husband's political influence to secure a position at Complutense University of Madrid and obtain funding for her activities. She is also accused of unlawfully taking ownership of software developed for the university and of benefiting from the work of an assistant employed by the prime minister's office and paid with public funds to support her university-related activities.

In June, Gómez's passport was confiscated and she was barred from leaving Spain. She challenged the measure, requesting permission to attend a NATO summit and her daughter's graduation ceremony in London. The Madrid court has now lifted the travel restriction.

The case is one of several legal controversies involving people close to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. In recent months, his brother, David Sánchez, was convicted and banned from holding public office for nine years over influence peddling, while two former close allies of the prime minister—Santos Cerdán and former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos—are also facing corruption investigations.

Amid these cases, the opposition continues to call for Pedro Sánchez's resignation and early elections, demands the prime minister has rejected.

Photo: Wikipedia