Spanish president's wife ordered to surrender passport in corruption case
Begoña Gómez must appear fortnightly before the courts following judge Juan Carlos Peinado's decision to take her to trial on suspicion of corruption offences.
Spanish president's wife ordered to surrender passport in corruption case
Begoña Gómez, spouse of Spanish chief executive Pedro Sánchez, must face judicial proceedings before a court of law on suspicion of corruption offences. The ruling, made public on Saturday, includes the seizure of her travel document and a requirement to present herself to the competent authorities every fifteen days.
The decision is the work of judge Juan Carlos Peinado, who has also ordered that border control points, both civilian and military, monitor compliance with the prohibition on leaving the territory, according to details provided by Médias24.
The trial date has not yet been set.
In April, the same judicial body had already formally charged the subject of the investigation on suspicion of embezzlement, abuse of influence, corruption in business dealings and misconduct in public office. The investigation began in April 2024 to clarify whether the president's wife took advantage of her position to obtain personal benefits, a claim both firmly deny.
The focus of the investigation centres on a university chair managed at the Complutense University of Madrid, where Gómez served as co-director, and suspicions of the use of public resources and personal contacts to promote private interests.
In the charge document, the judge noted that the chair functioned as a "channel for private professional development" for the subject of the investigation.
The complaint that initiated the case was filed by an anti-corruption organisation affiliated with far-right political formations.
Following the start of the investigation in 2024, Sánchez stepped back from his duties for several days to reflect on his continuation as head of government. The subject of the investigation has maintained her innocence throughout, while the president has described the accusations as a right-wing manoeuvre to topple his administration.
The circle around the socialist leader faces other legal proceedings. Former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was formally charged in May on suspicion of abuse of influence linked to the rescue of airline Plus Ultra in 2021. Sánchez expressed his "total" support for his former political mentor.
Cases for corruption are also pending against Sánchez's former direct collaborator José Luis Ábalos and his own brother, David Sánchez.
Opposition parties, both conservatives and far-right, have demanded the president's resignation and an early election, although Sánchez has repeatedly stated his intention to complete the legislature until 2027.
Source: Google News MA — Crime (fr)