Indictment against Spanish PM Sanchez's wife accepted: A political operation

The indictment against Begoña Gómez, wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has been accepted by the court on four separate charges, including embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business transactions, and the improper use of public resources. Following a two-year investigation, Judge Juan Carlos Peinado decided that Gómez should stand trial due to "allegations of irregularities" during her tenure as co-director of two master's programs and a private chair at the Complutense University of Madrid.

Investigation lasted nearly 2 years

After a preliminary investigation that lasted nearly two years, Judge Peinado concluded that there was sufficient evidence that Gómez had used her status as the prime minister's wife to secure privileged contacts at an institutional level and to offer unfair advantages to certain companies. The charge of "usurpation of professional authority" against Gómez was dropped on the grounds that there was insufficient concrete evidence. Within the scope of the investigation, it was also decided to open a case against Cristina Alvarez, an advisor to Gómez at the Moncloa Palace, the Prime Ministerial Residence, and businessman Juan Carlos Barrabes. Judge Peinado granted the parties 5 days to prepare their defenses and submit their sentencing requests.

Sánchez described the case as a "political operation"

While Gómez denied the accusations against her, Prime Minister Sánchez argued that the charges against his wife were a political operation coordinated by the opposition. The People's Party (PP) and the far-right Vox Party, meanwhile, stated that the corruption allegations had caused the government to lose its legitimacy and called for early elections.

According to Spanish law, serious crimes such as influence peddling and embezzlement are heard in jury trials. The trial date is expected to be clarified in the coming days.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Sánchez's brother, David Sánchez, is also expected to appear before a judge next month due to corruption allegations.

News Source: İHA