A Spanish court has ordered Begona Gomez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, to stand trial on corruption-related charges and barred her from leaving Spain for now. Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, who is leading the investigation, required her to surrender her passport and appear in court twice a month until a jury trial begins, with no date yet set.
Gomez, 55, denies all allegations. The judge said she is being charged with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in commercial transactions, and misappropriation of funds. The case began about two years ago after a complaint from Manos Limpias, or Clean Hands, a group that presents itself as a trade union but is identified with Spain's far right.
The latest development is another blow to Sanchez, who has long said the case is baseless and politically motivated. He has accused political and media rivals of waging a campaign against his family and has questioned the impartiality of some parts of the judiciary. His Socialist Party also defended Gomez, saying on X that she has faced judicial and political persecution for two years and that Thursday's decision was another step in that process.
The investigation is one of several corruption cases weighing on Sanchez's government. He came to power in 2018 promising to fight the corruption that damaged the conservative People's Party. Now multiple probes involving family members and former allies threaten his government's stability. Sanchez is not a suspect, but his brother David Sanchez is under investigation for influence peddling, former transport minister Jose Luis Abalos is suspected of taking benefits tied to public contracts, and former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has also been questioned since last month over influence peddling. All three have denied wrongdoing.
