Bloomberg
A judge in a Madrid court has ordered Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomez, to stand trial on charges of influence peddling, corruption while conducting business and embezzlement of public funds. The order, released on Saturday by Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, includes a requirement for Gomez to surrender her passport, a ban on her leaving the country and her appearance at the court twice a month. Peinado is the judge assigned to oversee the investigation into Gomez. “Today is a disastrous day for all of us who believe in justice,” Spanish Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Parliamentary Relations Felix Bolanos said in a post on X. “Who will repair the damage?”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, left, and his wife, Begona Gomez, arrive at the G20 Leaders Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Nov. 18, 2024.
Spanish Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility Oscar Puente described the judge’s order as “a disgrace,” in a separate post. Gomez’s case is one of at least five involving corruption allegations leveled at close relatives and associates of the Spanish leader. The prospect of highly-publicized, simultaneous trials is a blow to Sanchez’s Socialists, who came to power in 2018 promising to tackle government corruption and would need to improve their vote share in an election next year to avoid relying on smaller parties to govern.
