Spanish judge allows Begoña Gómez to travel to London, denies trip to NATO summit

A Spanish judge has denied Begoña Gómez, wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, permission to travel to Ankara for the NATO summit, but authorized her to fly to London for her daughter's graduation. The substitute judge, Antonio Viejo, ruled that while the trip to the UK posed minimal flight risk due to strong judicial cooperation, Turkey is not part of the EU's judicial framework and Gómez would have no active role at the summit.

The Decision

Judge Viejo, filling in for vacationing Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, rejected the Ankara trip because "Turquía no pertenece al espacio de libertad, seguridad y justicia de la Unión Europea" Source: ABC and Gómez was invited "por razones de cortesía institucional internacional, sin tener una intervención activa" Source: La Vanguardia. In contrast, he permitted the London journey citing "la buena relación de cooperación judicial entre España y el Reino Unido" Source: El Confidencial. Gómez must return her passport after the trip.

Reactions

The government called the decision "incomprensible" and accused the judge of political motives Source: Euronews. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said it was "impropio" for an indicted person to appear at international forums Source: Infobae. The case stems from a probe into alleged corruption linked to a university chair Gómez co-directed.

• Key points:
  • Gómez faces four charges: influence peddling, embezzlement, corruption, and misappropriation.
  • The prosecution did not oppose the travel request; popular accusations did. Source: ABC
  • The passport seizure was based on flight risk, controversially citing police escort could facilitate escape.