Spanish PM's Wife Ordered to Stand Trial for Corruption
A Spanish judge has ruled that Begona Gomez, wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, must face a corruption trial over allegations she used her position to secure work contracts. The court ordered her to surrender her passport and not leave the country.
A Madrid court has agreed that there is sufficient evidence to bring Begona Gomez, wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, to trial before a jury. Investigating Judge Juan Carlos Peinado ordered Gomez to surrender her passport, banned her from leaving the country, and required her to report to court twice a month. The court said "instructions shall be issued to all border posts and civilian and military airports" to ensure Gomez remains on home soil. A trial date has not yet been set.
Sanchez's Socialist PSOE party reacted to the ruling on X, saying: "[Gomez] has been subjected to judicial and political persecution for two years. Today's development is another step in that process."
The case began with a complaint filed by Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), a legal pressure group set up by a lawyer with ties to the far right. An investigation was opened in April 2024 to decide whether Gomez had exploited her position as Sanchez's wife for private gain. It centers on an academic chair at Madrid's Complutense University that Gomez co-directed, along with allegations that she used public resources and her connections to advance private business interests.
Gomez was formally charged in April 2024 with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds. She has denied the allegations, while Sanchez has repeatedly refused to step down and call early elections.
Several senior figures close to Sanchez, including the PSOE's number three and his former transport minister, are also under investigation over alleged kickbacks linked to public works contracts, oil and gas deals and the procurement of COVID-19 masks. All those involved deny any wrongdoing. Separately, Spain's High Court is investigating former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero over allegations that he headed a lobbying network which profited from influencing public authorities on behalf of third parties, including the airline Plus Ultra. Zapatero denies the claims.
The cases threaten to bring down Sanchez's fragile coalition government, which came to power in 2018 promising to clean up Spanish politics after toppling the conservative Popular Party (PP) in a no-confidence vote over its own corruption scandal.
