Spain’s Prime Minister Faces New Political Turmoil as His Wife Is Ordered to Stand Trial in Corruption Case

A court in Spain ruled over the weekend that Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, will stand trial on suspicion of embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in commercial transactions, and unlawful misappropriation of funds, as part of an investigation that has been underway against her for about two years.

The court’s decision also includes a series of restrictions imposed on Gómez pending further proceedings. Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, who is overseeing the investigation, ordered her to surrender her passport and barred her from leaving Spain. In addition, she will be required to appear in court twice a month until the opening of her jury trial, which has not yet been scheduled.

Gómez, 55, rejects all the claims against her and denies any involvement in the offenses attributed to her. The investigation was opened following a complaint filed by the group "Manos Limpias" ("Clean Hands"), an organization that describes itself as a trade union but is identified with Spain’s far right.

This latest legal development is another blow to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has maintained throughout that the case is baseless and intended to harm him and his government. In the past, Sánchez accused his political rivals and the media of waging a campaign of persecution against his family, and he has also cast doubt on the impartiality of some figures within the judicial system.

The case joins a series of additional corruption investigations that have recently weighed on Sánchez’s government. The prime minister came to power in 2018 presenting the fight against corruption as one of his central goals, after years in which the conservative People’s Party dealt with similar scandals. Now, a series of investigations involving members of his family and former political allies is putting his government under growing public and political pressure.

Despite the uproar, Sánchez himself is not a suspect in any of the cases. However, his brother David Sánchez is under investigation on suspicion of influence peddling, while former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos is suspected of receiving benefits as part of public contracts. Both deny the allegations against them.