Wife of Spanish prime minister faces embezzlement trial

(CN) — The legal troubles surrounding Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez deepened on Wednesday after a judge announced his wife faced a jury trial over embezzlement charges.

Madrid Court Judge Juan Carlos Peinado ordered Begoña Gómez, the prime minister’s wife, to appear in court Saturday, where she and two others are expected to be formally charged. He is overseeing a broader probe into Gómez’s alleged influence peddling and corruption.

Sánchez, leader of the center-left Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, has dismissed the claims as politically motivated. However, the case adds to his legal troubles, with probes also open against his brother and former top aides.

On Wednesday, center-right Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said Peinado’s finding that there was enough evidence to put Gómez on trial showed the case was not part of a smear campaign against Sánchez.

Calling it “judicial persecution no longer holds water,” Feijóo said, asreported by Spanish media.

Investigators say Sánchez’s government in 2018 hired an assistant for Gómez who was improperly used to perform private duties. The aide, Cristina Álvarez, and senior Socialist party official Francisco Martín also face charges. Both deny wrongdoing and are appealing Peinado’s latest ruling.

When the probe became public in April, Sánchez threatened to resign, calling it a relentless right-wing smear campaign against him and his progressive political agenda.

Spain’s first openly atheist prime minister, Sánchez has long enraged conservatives by allying with far-left progressive parties and advancing leftist economic and social policies, such as raising the minimum wage and expanding abortion and transgender rights. His softer stance on Catalonia’s independence push has added to the anger.

Gómez, who runs master’s programs at the Complutense University of Madrid, came under scrutiny after right-wing outlets probed her ties to companies that received public funds, including Air Europa, a Spanish airline that got a 475 million euro ($509 million) pandemic bailout.

The criminal probes against her and David Sánchez, the prime minister’s brother, stemmed from complaints filed by Manos Limpias (“Clean Hands”), an organization linked to far-right causes that has gained notoriety for politically motivated lawsuits. Spanish law allows such complaints even from people or groups not directly harmed.

Potentially more damaging for Sánchez is a separate criminal case targeting two longtime associates accused of taking massive bribes, including from construction giant Acciona.

Santos Cerdán, a former third-ranking member in Sánchez’s party, and José Luis Ábalos, a former transport minister and top aide to Sánchez, were heard on audio recordings discussing the potential for taking bribes in exchange for public contracts. Sánchez has denied involvement, saying he knew “absolutely nothing” about the scheme.

His brother, David Sánchez, is also under investigation over claims that his government position as a regional music director was created for him. He could face trial on charges of embezzlement, influence peddling and misuse of public funds.

Despite the scandals, Sánchez’s popularity remains steady, but hisminority government is fragile because it relies on support from Catalan and Basque nationalist parties. Meanwhile, his government is under constant attack from the Popular Party and Vox, a party further to the right, which has seen its support rise since Sanchez won reelection in July 2023.

Courthouse News reporter Cain Burdeau is based in the European Union.

Follow @cainburdeau