A Spanish judge has ruled that Begoña Gómez, the wife of socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, must stand trial on corruption charges and has banned her from leaving the country. Judge Juan Carlos Peinado ordered Gómez to surrender her passport, barred her from leaving Spain, and required her to report to court twice a month, according to a court order released on Saturday. She will face trial by jury on an unspecified date.
Charges and Background
Gómez, 55, had previously been charged after a two-year investigation with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings, and misappropriation of funds. She denies any wrongdoing. The case was triggered by a complaint from Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), a self-styled trade union with far-right links.
Political Reactions
Prime Minister Sánchez has repeatedly dismissed the case as a baseless and politically motivated smear. The leftist leader has accused his political and media opponents of pursuing his family and has openly questioned the impartiality of some members of the judiciary. The Socialist party reacted to the ruling on X, stating: “(Begoña) has been subjected to judicial and political persecution for two years. Today’s development is another step in that process.”
Broader Corruption Investigations
The case is one of several corruption investigations that have plagued Sánchez since he came to power in 2018, promising to end graft that had mired the conservative People’s party (PP). Investigations into Sánchez’s family and former top allies now threaten his government. Sánchez has not been named in any cases, but his brother David is accused of influence peddling, and former transport minister José Luis Ábalos is accused of taking kickbacks on public contracts. Both deny the accusations.
Former socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, a prominent figure on the Spanish left, was placed under investigation last month for alleged influence peddling. Zapatero, who served from 2004 to 2011, defended his innocence during hearings this week.
Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.
