Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is scheduled to testify on July 30 in a preliminary corruption inquiry concerning his wife, Begona Gomez’s business connections, according to a Madrid court announcement on Monday. This issue had led Sanchez to contemplate resigning three months ago.
The inquiry, which involves allegations of corruption and influence peddling, has angered Sanchez, who views the accusations as an attempt to undermine both him and his left-wing government. Judge Juan Carlos Peinado will question Sanchez as a “witness” at his official residence at 11:00 am (0900 GMT) on July 30, focusing on allegations of influence peddling by his wife.
Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party, stated, “We have always said that we will use all available means to bring down the most corrupt government in history.”
Patxi Lopez, the Socialist party spokesperson in the Congress of Deputies, defended Sanchez, dismissing the case against his wife as baseless and labeling it “unacceptable political persecution.”
“Today and more than ever, the socialists are all behind Pedro Sanchez”, said Lopez, adding that the case had evidently been “entirely fabricated, it is a fabrication of the far right and the right against the head of government”.
“Sanchez has given no explanations to parliament or to the media: he has to do so before a judge,” said Borja Semper, spokesman for the main opposition People’s Party.
“Nobody is above the law, not the prime minister or his entourage, all politicians should understand this,” Semper added.
The head of the People’s Party, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, called once again on Sanchez to resign: “What an image for the country when a prime minister goes before a judge to talk about his wife’s alleged corruption!”
On Friday, Begona Gomez exercised her right to remain silent during questioning by a judge. She had briefly appeared before the same judge on July 5, but the hearing was suspended after her lawyer requested additional time to review the complaints, citing a lack of notification about all the allegations.
The investigation, which began on April 16, was initiated by a complaint from Manos Limpias (“Clean Hands”), an anti-corruption NGO associated with the far-right.
The complaint alleged corruption and influence peddling in the private sector, although it acknowledged that the claims were based on media reports. A second complaint was filed by Hazte Oir (“Make Yourself Heard”), an ultra-Catholic pressure group with far-right connections, also citing influence peddling.
Sanchez has consistently defended his wife, asserting that she has committed no wrongdoing. On Friday, his justice minister, Felix Bolanos, supported Gomez. Gomez, who has a background in fundraising for foundations and NGOs, is alleged to have used her husband’s position to influence her professional circles, particularly with businessman Juan Carlos Barrabes, who sought public funding.
Barrabes, who also teaches part of a master’s course at Madrid’s Complutense University run by Gomez, testified that he met Gomez and Sanchez a few times at Moncloa, the prime minister’s official residence. Barrabes stated that their discussions focused on innovation.
Sanchez’s Socialist party has stated that such meetings are normal and the police report earlier this month found no irregularities concerning Gomez. The public prosecutor’s office also recommended closing the case due to insufficient evidence at the end of April, but Judge Juan Carlos Peinado decided to continue the investigation, citing “sufficient” evidence.
When the investigation was first reported in April, Sanchez indicated he was considering resignation due to what he described as a campaign of political harassment by the right but ultimately chose to remain in office.
