Spain: Investigation against wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez

The Spanish judiciary is investigating, among other things, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for alleged corruption.

The regional court of the autonomous region of Madrid rejected an objection by the public prosecutor’s office against the initiation of an investigation. The investigation was justified, the court said. In doing so, it confirmed a decision by a Madrid judge who had decided in mid-April to open an investigation against Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, on suspicion of influence peddling and corruption in the economy.

After the corruption charges against his wife became known, Sánchez denied the allegations, complained about a political mudslinging match and threatened to resign from the office he has held since mid-2018. The 52-year-old socialist politician complained that he was being harassed by the right and the extreme right using all means possible. However, after a five-day period of reflection during which he cancelled all public appointments, Sánchez decided to remain in office.

The complaint was filed in April by the organization “Manos Limpias” (Clean Hands). It accuses Sánchez’s wife (49), who does not hold a public office, of having helped obtain public contracts by abusing her position. “Manos Limpias” is a private group that has been campaigning for right-wing causes in Spain for years. It admitted that its complaint against Gómez was based on media reports. In addition to the public prosecutor’s office, the police unit responsible for corruption offenses (UCO) also found no evidence of illegal actions by Gómez in its own investigation.