Begoña Gómez's defense requests her acquittal in the preliminary hearing

Begoña Gómez's defense, recently assumed by lawyer Jaime Campaner, has requested the acquittal of the wife of the President of the Government in the preliminary hearing called this Tuesday afternoon by Judge Juan Carlos Peinado. During this act, which is the previous step to the opening of a trial before the jury court, the popular accusations grouped under the legal direction of the Hazte Oír association have requested a 13-year sentence for Gómez. After convening the preliminary hearing, the instructor Peinado must issue an order in which he decides on the opening of the trial, as established by the organic law of the Jury Court (LOTJ).

The defense of Begoña Gómez's advisor, Cristina Álvarez, has also participated in the procedural act, given that both are accused of crimes of embezzlement and influence peddling. Although initially the head of the Investigative Court number 41 of Madrid summoned the accused "personally", neither of them has appeared, given that they were not required by law.

In fact, Álvarez's defense reported that Moncloa's advisor is currently on a cruise abroad, making it impossible for her to attend the Plaza de Castilla courts in Madrid. In the case of Cristina Álvarez, popular accusations demand a sentence of six years in prison. Both the defenses and the Prosecutor's Office advocate for the acquittal of the two accused, understanding that the facts that make up the case do not constitute a crime.

This is the third time that the preliminary hearing has been held. However, the last occasion took place in June, when Gómez was also accused of the crimes of business corruption and misappropriation. Already in July, the Provincial Court of Madrid partially upheld an appeal by the defense of the president's wife and ordered the revocation of the prosecution for these last two crimes, while it endorsed the decision to send Begoña Gómez to trial before the jury court for embezzlement and influence peddling.