Madrid court confirms trial for Begoña Gómez, drops some charges

The Audiencia Provincial de Madrid has confirmed that Begoña Gómez, wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, will face trial by popular jury for alleged influence peddling and embezzlement, while dropping two other charges and lifting all precautionary measures against her. Source: El Nacional Source: ABC España

What the court decided

The court upheld the jury trial for Gómez on charges of tráfico de influencias (influence peddling) and malversación de caudales públicos (embezzlement), but dismissed accusations of corruption in business and misappropriation. Source: El Mundo It also lifted the ban on leaving the country, passport surrender, and fortnightly court appearances, stating there was no flight risk. Source: Infobae The third accused, businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés, was separated from the jury trial and will face a separate investigation. Source: La Vanguardia

Political reaction

The government denounced the decision as a "political persecution," with sources from La Moncloa stating, "Begoña Gómez is innocent; this is a political case based on false complaints." Source: El Mundo Minister Óscar Puente suggested the timing was intended to distract from the EU court's ruling on the amnesty law. Source: La Vanguardia

Key evidence cited

The judges noted that Gómez used her "privileged position as the wife of the president" to obtain a university chair at the Complutense University of Madrid with little oversight, and that her role allowed her to control public funds for private benefit. Source: El Confidencial