Wife of Spanish President Pedro Sánchez sent to trial on four corruption charges
A Spanish court has decided to send María Begoña Gómez Fernández, wife of government president Pedro Sánchez, to trial, accused of four offences.
Wife of Spanish President Pedro Sánchez sent to trial on four corruption charges
A Spanish court has agreed to send María Begoña Gómez Fernández, spouse of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, to trial for alleged corruption offences. The judicial decision also imposes restrictive precautionary measures, including a ban on leaving national territory, the surrender of her passport and the obligation to appear before the judicial authority twice a month.
The investigation focuses on Gómez's professional activity at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. The four alleged unlawful acts attributed to her are abuse of influence, corruption in commercial transactions, bribery and improper appropriation of a trademark. According to the investigation, it is suspected that she took advantage of her access to government decision-making centres to promote private collaborations, and the possible use of public resources linked to her academic work is also being examined.
Judge Juan Carlos Peinado believes there are sufficient grounds for the case to reach a court, an assessment which the defence of the investigated party rejects. Initially, the same judge had considered there was no risk of flight, but subsequently changed his mind after understanding that the circumstances had changed and that additional guarantees were required to ensure the presence of the accused at trial.
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), which sustains the Executive, has launched harsh criticism against the judge, arguing that the case responds to political motivations. Government officials speak of an "obsessive" attitude and denounce that the judicial procedure is based on insufficient evidence. Sánchez himself argues that this is part of a broader political offensive designed to weaken his administration.
The Public Prosecutor's Office had requested on several occasions that the case be shelved due to lack of evidence, without intervening in the course of the investigation. The Executive emphasises that the initial complaint against Gómez came from an anti-corruption organisation linked to conservative and far-right circles.
This is not the only judicial procedure complicating the situation of Sánchez's Government. In recent years, various investigations against people in his political circle have generated significant tensions for the minority coalition. Although the president is not personally accused in any of these cases, sending his spouse to trial opens a new political front in a country where corruption cases usually lead to prolonged confrontations.
Source: Philenews
Source: Philenews