A Madrid court has put Begonia Gomez, wife of Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, on trial on charges of embezzlement, undue influence, business corruption and misappropriation of trademarks.
The decision comes after a two-year investigation into Begonia Gomez’s tenure as a professor at a private university in Madrid, where she allegedly used her relationship with Pedro Sanchez to influence authorities and officials.
As El Pais reports, Gomez was informed of this development today while on a trip with Sanchez to China.
Along with Gomez, two other people, former adviser to the prime minister’s office, Cristina Alvarez, and businessman Juan Carlos Barabes, are also on trial.
The judge’s decision comes after a hearing held last Good Wednesday to inform those involved that, should the case go to trial, it would be judged by a jury – that is, by lay people. Both Gometh’s defense and the prosecution insisted that the case does not constitute a crime and should be dismissed.
“My wife is honest”
Recall that Sanchez, during the investigation, defended his wife’s “honesty” when she came under fire from the right-wing opposition and Argentine President Javier Millay, who sparked a diplomatic crisis by calling her “corrupt.”
“My wife is honest in her profession, serious and responsible and my government is a ‘clean’ government,” the Socialist prime minister told parliament, assuring that the lawsuits against her were not based on any tangible evidence.
“I am confident that the judiciary will file” these two lawsuits because “they are an accumulation of fraud and slander,” he added.
The investigation was launched in mid-April 2024 for “corruption” and “undue influence” against Begonia Gomez, following a lawsuit filed by the Manos Limpias (Clean Hands) organisation. Another organisation also aligned with the far-right, Hazte Oir, subsequently filed a second lawsuit before the same judge.
