A Madrid judge has indicted Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, on charges of embezzlement of public funds, according to Spanish media, in the latest twist in a long-running legal probe previously described by Sanchéz as “lawfare” against his family.
Judge Juan Carlos Peinado alleges that a staff member assigned to Gómez while she worked at Madrid’s Complutense University diverted public resources for her benefit.
Like other spouses of Spanish premiers, Gómez had an aide paid by the state. Prosecutors argue that because this aide occasionally helped organise university documents or send emails, it could amount to misuse of public funds.
Gómez and her aide, Cristina Álvarez, have been summoned to testify before Peinado’s court on 11 September, Spanish media reported on Monday (18 August).
It will be the second time she appears before him: in July, she denied earlier accusations of influence-peddling and corruption.
The indictment comes despite repeated setbacks for the investigation.
Spain’s Civil Guard police force has previously said it found no evidence of wrongdoing, and the Supreme Court earlier this year dismissed Peinado’s petition to indict Sánchez’s minister for the presidency, Félix Bolaños, in connection to this case, ruling there was an "absolute absence of evidence.”
Still, the case has expanded steadily since April 2024.
Manos Limpias [Clean Hands], the far-right linked group that also brought the complaint against Sánchez’s wife, has targeted his brother David as well, prompting an investigation that led to his resignation from a regional government post.
The indictment comes as Sánchez’ government is already grappling with corruption scandals involving senior Socialist party figures, including his former number three, Santos Cerdán, who was jailed in June pending trial on charges of bribery, conspiracy, and influence-peddling.
Conservatives argue the case against Gómez shows corruption is everywhere in Sánchez’s circle, while the prime minister has dismissed the case as rightwing “lawfare” against his family designed to discredit him and weaken his government.
Last year Sánchez briefly threatened to resign, posting on social media that he would take five days away from office to “reflect” on what he described as “relentless harassment and bullying” of his wife by rightwing media and courts.
For Gómez, the outcome remains uncertain.
Even if the charges against her collapse, as seems likely, the ongoing legal summons and constant press coverage will keep the affair alive and are likely to weigh on the leftwing prime minister and his government.
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Wester is a journalist from the Netherlands with a focus on the green economy. He joined EUobserver in September 2021. Previously he was editor-in-chief of Vice, Motherboard, a science-based website, and climate economy journalist for The Correspondent.
Wester is a journalist from the Netherlands with a focus on the green economy. He joined EUobserver in September 2021. Previously he was editor-in-chief of Vice, Motherboard, a science-based website, and climate economy journalist for The Correspondent.