The wife of the Spanish Prime Minister, Begoňa Gómez, will have to stand trial on serious charges of corruption and embezzlement. Judge Juan Carlos Peinado there banned her from leaving the country with immediate effect on Saturday, ordered her to hand over her passport and required her to report to court twice a month.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s wife, Begoňa Gómez, is due to appear in court on corruption charges. The local judge banned her from leaving the country on Saturday, TASR reports, according to Reuters and AFP.
- The wife of the Spanish Prime Minister, Begoňa Gómez, faces court proceedings for corruption.
- Judge Juan Carlos Peinado confiscated her passport and banned her from leaving Spain.
- Until the verdict, Gómez must report to the court twice a month.
- He faces charges of embezzlement, abuse of influence and public funds.
- The case increases political pressure on the government of Pedro Sánchez and his family.
Passport confiscation and strict controls at airports
Judge Juan Carlos Peinado ordered Gómez to surrender her passport and ordered her to report to court twice a month pending a ruling on the case, the ruling said. According to AFP, the exact date of the trial has not yet been determined.
The court said “instructions will be issued to all border crossings and civilian and military airports” to ensure that Gómez complies with the ban on leaving the country.
An investigation against her began in April 2024 to determine whether she abused her position as the prime minister’s wife for personal gain, which she and Sánchez deny.
Allegations of embezzlement
In April of this year, the court formally accused Gómez of embezzlement, abuse of influence, corruption in business relations and misuse of funds.
The case mainly concerns the creation and management of the department at the Complutense University in Madrid, which Gómez co-directed, as well as the alleged misuse of public resources and contacts to promote personal interests.
Gómez denies any wrongdoing. Sánchez calls the prosecution of his wife an attempt by the right to weaken his government. Opposition parties have called on the prime minister to resign several times.
Pressure on the government
The suspicions against Gómez began to be investigated based on the initiative of the anti-corruption organization Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), which has ties to the extreme right.
The case is one of several corruption scandals involving the Spanish leader’s family and former allies, putting pressure on his government, according to AFP.
