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A Spanish judge has ordered that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomez, face a jury trial for alleged embezzlement, according to a court document released on Wednesday.
The investigation, which has been ongoing for some time, centres on whether a government official, Cristina Alvarez, performed work for Gomez’s private academic job while on the public payroll.
Judge Juan Carlos Peinado stated that his preliminary findings showed enough evidence to warrant a trial.
He cited emails from Alvarez that appeared to go beyond her official duties, suggesting that her appointment was an act of “diversion of public resources in favour of private interests.”
Gomez has denied any wrongdoing, stating that Alvarez did not assist with her private activities.
The ruling can be appealed and is not yet final.
The case is part of several legal probes involving Sanchez’s family and former associates, which the prime minister has dismissed as politically motivated attacks by the far-right to destabilise his government.
