Spanish court orders prime minister's wife to hand over passport ahead of corruption trial
A Spanish court has banned Begoña Gómez, wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, from leaving the country and ordered her to surrender her passport ahead of a corruption trial.
Spanish court orders prime minister's wife to hand over passport ahead of corruption trial
A court in Spain has banned the wife of the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, from travelling abroad and ordered her to surrender her travel documents, according to a ruling made public on Saturday.
Begoña Gómez will be required to appear before the court twice a month until her case concludes. Border authorities and airports have been notified to enforce the travel restriction.
No date has yet been set for the oral hearing in this politically sensitive case.
The case against Gómez was formally opened in April 2024 by judge Juan Carlos Peinado, who accused her of misappropriation of funds, abuse of influence, corruption in commercial transactions and unlawful appropriation of public funds. The investigation examines whether she exploited her status as the spouse of the head of government to obtain private economic benefits, accusations that both she and Sánchez reject.
At the centre of the inquiry is a university chair at the Complutense University of Madrid, which Gómez co-directed. The judge alleges that public resources and personal contacts were used to promote private interests through this academic position. In his indictment order, Peinado described the position as a vehicle for the "private professional development" of the investigated person.
The complaint was filed by an anti-corruption organisation linked to the far right.
When the investigation was opened in April 2024, Sánchez briefly suspended his public activities to assess whether he should remain in office. Gómez has consistently defended her innocence, whilst Sánchez has characterised the accusations as an attempt by the right to destabilise his Government.
This matter is one of several alleged corruption cases surrounding the circle of the socialist leader. Last month, former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was formally investigated on suspicion of abuse of influence related to an aircraft rescue in 2021. Zapatero denies the charges, and Sánchez has offered him his "full support".
Separate trials involving Sánchez's former chief of staff, José Luis Ábalos, and his brother David Sánchez are also pending sentence.
Sánchez came to power in 2018 promising to clean up Spanish politics, following a significant corruption conviction against the conservative People's Party. The conservative and far-right opposition have called for his resignation and early elections, although the Prime Minister asserts he will serve his term until 2027.
Source: Euractiv (https://www.euractiv.com/news/court-bans-spanish-pms-wife-from-leaving-country/)
Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)