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A Spanish court has ordered the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Begona Gomez, to stand trial by jury for corruption and banned her from leaving the country, according to a court order released Saturday.
The case is one of several corruption affairs that have embroiled the Socialist leader’s family and former allies, threatening to topple his minority coalition government.
Judge Juan Carlos Peinado ordered Gomez to hand in her passport and to appear before the court twice a month until a verdict is reached in the case. the ruling said.
The court said “instructions shall be issued to all border posts and civilian and military airports” to ensure Gomez complies with the ban on leaving the country.
No date for the politically explosive trial has been set.
Peinado in April formally charged Gomez with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds.
He opened the investigation in April 2024 to determine whether Gomez had exploited her position as Sanchez’s wife for private gain, which she and the prime minister deny.
The case centres on the creation and management of a chair at Madrid’s Complutense University that was co-directed by Gomez, as well as the alleged use of public resources and personal connections to advance private interests.
“The chair served as a means of private professional development for the person under investigation,” the judge wrote when he charged Gomez.
The case originated from a complaint filed by an anti-corruption group with far-right ties.
The Socialist party quickly reacted, writing on social network X that Gomez was innocent and promoting the hashtag #YoConBegoña (#IAmWithBegona).
“She has been subjected to judicial and political persecution for two years. Today’s development is another step in that process,” it said.
When the investigation into Gomez was opened in April 2024, Sanchez temporarily suspended his public duties for several days to consider whether to remain in office.
Gomez has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Sanchez has dismissed the allegations against his wife as an attempt by the right wing to undermine his government.
Spain’s former Socialist prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was placed under formal investigation last month, suspected of influence peddling in connection with the bailout of small airline Plus Ultra in 2021.
Zapatero has denied the allegations, while Sanchez has expressed “full support” for his mentor.
Verdicts are also due in separate corruption trials of Sanchez’s former right-hand man, Jose Luis Abalos, and his brother, David Sanchez.
Abalos, a former Socialist heavyweight and transport minister who helped propel Sanchez to power in 2018, is accused of pocketing kickbacks for handing out public contracts worth millions of euros for sanitary equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic.
David Sanchez, a composer and orchestra director, is accused of receiving preferential treatment in obtaining a public-sector job.
The cases have embarrassed Sanchez, who came to power vowing to clean up Spanish politics after ousting a conservative Popular Party (PP) government in a no-confidence vote over its own graft scandal.
Sanchez, a canny politician famous for coming out on top in dire situations, again rejected opposition calls to step down and to call early elections amid mounting corruption scandals.
