Begoña Gómez: Referred to trial with jury on illegal influence and embezzlement
Judge Peinado has referred the wife of the Spanish Prime Minister to trial, defying the prosecution's request for the case to be dismissed.
Judge Peinado refers Gómez to trial despite prosecution opposition
According to In.gr, investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado has decided to refer Begoña Gómez, wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, to trial before a jury on charges of exercising illegal influence and embezzlement. The decision was issued despite the prosecution's stance, which judges that the allegations "lack legal basis".
The prosecutors had characterised the indictment as a document with "serious technical defects", incompatible with the law and "not susceptible to correction". In June, Peinado had banned Gómez from leaving Spanish territory.
The roots of the case: Manos Limpias and UCM
The judicial investigation began in April 2024, when Peinado accepted a complaint filed by the far-right organisation "Manos Limpias" (Clean Hands) against Gómez and her assistant in the Prime Minister's office, Cristina Álvarez. The ultra-Catholic organisation "Hazte Oír", which represents the private prosecution, is seeking a prison sentence of 13 years for Gómez.
The central point of the judge's theory is that Gómez exploited her position as the Prime Minister's wife to expand a network of influence, with the aim of promoting her academic career at Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). There she co-directed a special academic chair, in the framework of which software was developed with support from companies such as Google and Indra. Furthermore, according to the judge, she used her assistant at the official Prime Minister's residence for private matters.
From four to two charges following annulment ruling
During the investigation, dozens of witnesses testified, including Prime Minister Sánchez and the Minister of the Presidency and Justice, Félix Bolaños. Initially, Peinado had referred Gómez on four charges — embezzlement, illegal influence, corruption in the business sector and misappropriation of resources. A provincial court partially annulled the ruling in July, rejecting the last two charges.
Subsequently Peinado repeated the final stage of the proceedings, calling a fresh preliminary hearing. Gómez's lawyers and the prosecutor requested dismissal; the private prosecutor requested trial. The judge rejected the annulment argument and referred the case. A court is now expected to set a trial date.
Peinado is retiring this week, as he turns 72 on Sunday, 27 September — the legal age limit for exercising judicial duties in Spain. There is no right of appeal against his ruling.
Government and opposition react with opposing messages
The Sánchez government reacted sharply. Sources from the Prime Minister's office stated: "Throughout the entire investigative process, her innocence has been clearly demonstrated, and we are confident that this will be confirmed in court as well". The same governmental side characterised the ruling as "arbitrary and unjust, which is dictated solely by the judicial persecution of Begoña Gómez, simply and only because she is the Prime Minister's wife".
The right-wing People's Party rushed to welcome the referral: "The hour of accountability is approaching", its representatives said, adding that "judges are doing their job and enforcing the law" and that Gómez "exploited her position to promote interests that she would not have acquired on her own merits". During the investigation, both the People's Party and the far-right Vox had exercised intense criticism of the government.
First Prime Minister's wife to be sent to trial
The case exerts additional pressure on the Socialist government, which is simultaneously facing the crisis in Ceuta and a series of scandals involving party officials. Unless unforeseen circumstances change, Begoña Gómez is expected to become the first wife of an incumbent Spanish Prime Minister to be taken to court.
Source: In.gr