Spanish president's wife Pedro Sánchez's wife indicted for corruption, must hand over passport and cannot leave Spain
María Begoña Gómez Fernández, wife of Spanish Government President Pedro Sánchez, has been called to testify as an indicted party before the courts for alleged crimes of corruption, illegal influence, embezzlement and trademark infringement.
Spanish president's wife Pedro Sánchez's wife indicted for corruption, must hand over passport and cannot leave Spain
María Begoña Gómez Fernández, wife of Spanish Government President Pedro Sánchez, has been called to testify as an indicted party before the courts for alleged crimes of corruption, illegal influence, embezzlement and trademark infringement. The investigating judge in the case, Juan Carlos Peinado, who has been investigating the matter for two years, has issued these precautionary measures, according to reporting by WELT.
Gómez must present herself before the courts every two weeks, hand over her passport and is prohibited from leaving Spanish territory. This decision represents a change in position by the magistrate, who had previously considered the withdrawal of the passport unnecessary, arguing that the wife of the head of government enjoyed a standard of living in Spain far superior to that of average citizens and that, therefore, it was unlikely she would attempt to flee abroad. After reviewing his position, Peinado has noted that Fernández's official security detail could facilitate her escape.
The facts attributed to her include the alleged creation of an ad hoc university lectureship at the Complutense University of Madrid intended exclusively for her "private professional development". Both Gómez and Sánchez have rejected all accusations.
The Socialist Government's circle has reacted harshly. The Executive and the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) have again accused the judge of acting out of "political motivations" and of being "obsessed" with the case, according to public broadcaster RTVE. Throughout the investigation, initiated in 2024, the Prosecutor's Office has repeatedly requested that the case be shelved due to lack of evidence, requests that the magistrate has dismissed.
Peinado has sparked controversy with statements in which he said that one would have to go back to the era of King Ferdinand VII (1784-1833) to find a corruption scandal comparable to this one.
Gómez's indictment adds to a series of investigations affecting the circle around President Sánchez. At the end of May, the trial against his brother David began, also accused of having benefited from a tailor-made position. Likewise, a sentence is expected soon in the proceedings against former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos, who allegedly received bribes during the COVID-19 pandemic for the award of multimillion-pound public contracts for the acquisition of face masks.
Another parallel investigation affects former Socialist activist Leire Díez, who is alleged to have been part of a network dedicated to obstructing judicial investigations against the PSOE and the Socialist Government. Even former Government President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (2004-2011) is being investigated for alleged illegal influence and bribery, accused of having acted as an intermediary to obtain public funds for an airline during the pandemic in exchange for bribes.
Source: Google News LU DE