Spain PM's Wife Ordered to Stand Trial on Corruption Charges

The wife of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been ordered to stand trial on corruption charges, a court order released on Saturday said.

Begona Gomez is ‌accused of using her position as the head of the government's wife to secure work contracts.

The case is one of several graft cases facing the PM's center-left minority government.

What do we know about the court ruling?

The court in Madrid agreed that there was sufficient evidence to bring Gomez's case to trial in front of a jury.

Investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado told Gomez to surrender ​her passport, barred her from leaving the country and ordered ​her ‌to report to court twice a month.

The court said "instructions shall be issued to all border posts and civilian and military airports" to ensure Gomez remains on home soil.

A date for the trial has not yet been set.

Sanchez's ​Socialist PSOE party reacted to the ruling on X, saying: "[Gomez] has been subjected to judicial and political ⁠persecution ​for two years. Today's development is another step ​in that process."

How did the case against Gomez unfold?

The case began with a complaint filed by Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), a legal pressure group set up by a lawyer with ties to the far right.

An investigation was opened in April 2024 to decide whether Gomez had exploited her position as Sanchez's wife for private gain.

It centers on an academic chair at Madrid’s Complutense University that Gómez co-directed, along with allegations that she used public resources and her connections to advance private business interests.

Gomez was formally charged in April with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds.

She has denied the allegations, while Sanchez has repeatedly refused to step down and call early elections.

Other scandals engulf allies and family

Several senior figures close to Sanchez, including the PSOE's number three and his former transport minister, are also under investigation over alleged kickbacks linked to public works contracts, oil and gas deals and the procurement of COVID-19 masks.

All those involved deny any wrongdoing.

Separately, Spain's High Court is investigating former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero over allegations that he headed a lobbying network which profited from influencing public authorities on behalf of third parties, including the airline Plus Ultra.

Zapatero denies the claims.

The cases threaten to bring down Sanchez's fragile coalition government, which came to power in 2018 promising to clean up Spanish politics after toppling the conservative Popular Party (PP) in a no-confidence vote over its own corruption scandal.