According to a recent court ruling, Begona Gomez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, has been officially charged with corruption following a two-year investigation into her conduct.
The charges against Ms. Gomez include embezzlement, influence peddling, business corruption, and misappropriation of funds. Currently accompanying her husband on an official trip to China, she has steadfastly denied any allegations of misconduct.
This investigation is part of a broader series of corruption inquiries that have implicated the Socialist leader’s family and former associates, intensifying the scrutiny on his minority coalition government.
Judge Juan Carlos Peinado initiated the inquiry in April 2024 to assess whether Ms. Gomez had misused her status as the Prime Minister’s spouse for personal benefit, which both she and Mr. Sanchez have refuted.
The focus of the case is on the establishment and administration of an academic chair at Madrid’s Complutense University, which Ms. Gomez co-directed. It is alleged that she utilized public resources and personal connections to further her private interests.
In a ruling released on Monday, dated April 11, Judge Peinado stated that there were adequate grounds to suspect criminal activity by the 55-year-old Gomez. The court has formally charged her with the aforementioned offenses.
The judge noted, “The chair served as a means of private professional development for the individual under investigation.” It is now the responsibility of the judiciary to determine whether Ms. Gomez will face trial.
While in China, Ms. Gomez continues to assert her innocence regarding the accusations. In response to the allegations against his wife, Prime Minister Sanchez has characterized them as politically motivated attacks from the opposition aimed at destabilizing his government.
Calls for Sanchez’s resignation have emerged from opposition parties in light of the ongoing investigations. The case was initially prompted by a complaint from an anti-corruption organization with connections to far-right factions.
Additionally, Sanchez’s brother, David Sanchez, has been charged in a separate case involving alleged influence peddling related to his employment with a regional government. Furthermore, Jose Luis Abalos, a former transport minister and close aide to Sanchez, has recently faced trial over accusations of receiving kickbacks associated with public contracts.
