Spanish prime minister’s wife is being prosecuted and must surrender her passport
The wife of Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez is facing criminal charges. She must stand trial for, among other things, corruption and abuse of power. Begoña Gómez must report to court twice a month and she must surrender her passport.
Justice in Spain has been investigating Gómez for two years. The reason was a complaint from a trade union with ties to the extreme right, political opponents of Sánchez. Gómez is said to have used her position as the prime minister’s wife to further her career at a university in Madrid and secure lucrative deals for the university. She is also suspected of lobbying for government support for companies in which she had business interests.
An investigating judge has now ruled that there will be a trial and that Gómez will not be allowed to leave the country. The newspaper El Pais writes, based on sources from Gómez’s environment, that the prime minister’s wife will appeal against the decision.
The decision has angered Pedro Sánchez’s socialist party. He says that Gómez is innocent and is being prosecuted for political reasons. On X, the party shares messages from administrators and politicians who criticize the judge’s decision. Many of those posts have the hashtag YoConBegoña (I support Begoña).
On the other hand, the conservative opposition is trying to capitalize on the impending lawsuit. The Popular Party wants the Sánchez government to resign and for early elections to be held. The next parliamentary elections are in principle scheduled for next year.
Sánchez’s Socialist party is facing more allegations of corruption. Just last month, the party office was searched and one of Sánchez’s predecessors, former Prime Minister Zapatero, was charged with corruption, money laundering, participation in a criminal organization and forgery.
A brother of Sánchez, a minister and lesser-known party members are also associated with criminal offenses. There are also suspicions of corruption among prominent opposition politicians.
Gómez and Sánchez say they did nothing wrong. When the investigation into his wife was announced in 2024, Sánchez briefly considered resigning. He denounced the “unprecedented attack” on his wife and said he has to “watch helplessly as mud is thrown at her day in and day out.”
Source: NOS