June 20 - A judge has ruled that Begoña Gomez, the wife of Spain’s prime minister, must face trial on corruption charges and has barred her from leaving the country, court records show.
Investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado directed Gomez to surrender her passport, prohibited her from leaving Spain and ordered that she report to court twice a month. She is under investigation over allegations that she used her role as the prime minister’s wife to obtain work contracts. Gomez has denied any wrongdoing.
The complaint that prompted the investigation was brought by far-right groups. The judge’s decision to send the case to trial marks a significant procedural step in the probe into Gomez’s activities.
This development occurs against the backdrop of multiple corruption investigations that are either approaching trial or already at that stage and which, according to observers, are weighing on Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Sanchez has not been named in any of the cases and has responded by saying the proceedings form part of a campaign aimed at removing him from office.
Several individuals close to Sanchez are also under investigation. Among them are the Socialist party’s number three and Sanchez’s former transport minister. Those inquiries involve allegations of kickbacks connected to public works and oil and gas contracts, as well as the procurement of masks during the pandemic. The people under investigation deny any wrongdoing.
Separately, Spain’s High Court has opened an investigation into former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. The probe concerns allegations that he headed a network that profited from lobbying public authorities on behalf of third parties, including the airline Plus Ultra. Zapatero has denied the claims.
The judge’s order for Gomez to stand trial, combined with travel restrictions and mandatory court reporting, formalizes the legal constraints she will face while the case proceeds. How these proceedings and the broader set of investigations unfold remains an open question for Spain’s political scene and for the officials implicated.