Spanish prime minister’s wife ordered to surrender passport
A judge barred Begona Gomez from foreign travel as she awaits trial on corruption charges she denies.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
A Spanish judge has barred Begona Gomez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, from leaving the country while she awaits trial on corruption charges, AFP and Reuters reported. The order raises pressure on Sanchez as several investigations involving people close to him move through the courts.
Investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado issued the ruling on Saturday, according to AFP and Reuters. The judge ordered Gomez to surrender her passport and report to court twice a month until a verdict is reached.
Gomez faces charges of embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds, AFP and Reuters reported. No trial date has been set.
Case centers on university chair
According to AFP and Reuters, the investigation began after a complaint by an anticorruption group with far-right ties. The case concerns the creation and management of a chair at Madrid’s Complutense University that Gomez co-directed.
Investigators are also examining alleged use of public resources and personal connections to promote private interests, AFP and Reuters reported. Gomez has denied wrongdoing throughout the case.
Sanchez has rejected the accusations against his wife as an effort by the right wing to damage his government, according to AFP and Reuters. His Socialist Party has said Gomez is innocent and has described the case as part of a years-long campaign of political persecution.
Pressure grows around Sanchez
The proceedings against Gomez are among several corruption cases involving Sanchez’s allies that are nearing trial or are already before Spanish courts, AFP and Reuters reported. The cases have added political strain for the prime minister.
Several close allies of Sanchez, including the Socialist Party’s number three and his former transport minister, are under investigation in separate cases, according to AFP and Reuters. Those cases involve alleged kickbacks connected to public works, oil and gas contracts, and the purchase of masks during the pandemic.
AFP and Reuters reported that the people under investigation in those matters deny wrongdoing. Sanchez has not been named in any of the cases.
In another separate matter, Spain’s High Court has said it is investigating former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, AFP and Reuters reported. The allegations concern claims that he led a network that profited from lobbying public authorities for third parties, including airline Plus Ultra.
Zapatero denies the allegations, according to AFP and Reuters.
Sanchez has rejected opposition demands that he resign and call early elections, AFP and Reuters reported. The court order affecting Gomez now places one of the most politically sensitive cases surrounding his government closer to trial, though the timing remains unresolved.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.