The wife of Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Begoña Gómez, has been ordered to stand trial on multiple corruption-related charges, intensifying an ongoing political controversy that has enveloped the government. Judge Juan Carlos Peinado ruled on Saturday that Gómez faces allegations including influence peddling, embezzlement of public funds, misappropriation, and corruption. Alongside the trial order, the judge mandated that Gómez surrender her passport and report to court every 15 days. A trial date has yet to be scheduled.
The case stems from complaints filed by Manos Limpias, a far-right anti-corruption group, alleging that Gómez used her position to support a group of companies with which she maintains personal and professional ties in securing public contracts. Gómez has consistently denied all accusations, maintaining that her work was lawful and independent of her husband’s role as prime minister.
In addition to Gómez, businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés and her former assistant, Cristina Álvarez, are also under investigation and will face trial. Barrabés’s companies reportedly received letters of recommendation signed by Gómez prior to obtaining public contracts. Both men deny any criminal wrongdoing.
The case adds to a series of corruption accusations surrounding Sánchez’s circle. Last month, the prime minister’s brother went on trial over allegations related to a patronage job, and former prime minister and Sánchez ally José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was formally investigated for claims involving kickbacks related to a government airline bailout. Police have also searched the Socialist Party headquarters amid mounting pressure from conservative groups demanding Sánchez’s resignation.
Sánchez and his supporters have characterized the legal actions against his wife as politically motivated efforts, describing them as an “operation of harassment and demolition” or “lawfare” intended to undermine his government after electoral defeats. The prime minister, who has not been personally implicated in any wrongdoing, previously contemplated resignation but ultimately remained in office, asserting the investigations are part of a smear campaign.
The judge’s ruling drew swift reactions from political figures across the spectrum. Félix Bolaños, a senior Socialist cabinet minister, lamented the decision as damaging to the cause of justice, while opposition leaders seized on the development to call for early elections and questioned the integrity of Sánchez’s administration. Miguel Tellado, general secretary of the Popular Party, highlighted the proliferation of indictments among the prime minister’s family and allies.
Since Sánchez took office in 2018, Gómez has maintained a professional career focused on fundraising, sustainability, and academia, including roles at Madrid’s Complutense University and collaborations between the institution and private firms. Investigators allege that she leveraged this standing to secure favorable treatment for associated businesses, though she denies seeking or benefiting from improper advantages.
With Spain’s next general election scheduled by August 2027, the decision to proceed with Gómez’s trial is expected to remain a significant political issue, affecting Sánchez’s coalition government as it seeks to manage the fallout amid a broadening landscape of corruption investigations within the ruling party.