The wife of Spain’s prime minister, Begoña Gómez, has been formally charged with four crimes by a Madrid investigating judge, who has proposed that she stand trial before a jury, according to a ruling made public today.
After a two-year investigation, Judge Juan Carlos Peinado charged Gómez, who is married to Pedro Sánchez, with influence peddling, business corruption, misappropriation of public funds, and embezzlement.
The judge also proposed that Gómez be tried by a jury, alongside one of her aides, Cristina Álvarez, and businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés.
The defense and the Public Prosecutor’s Office have five days to respond, and the final decision on whether Gómez will go to trial will be made by another judge.
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During the investigation phase, prosecutors had requested that the case against Gómez be dismissed.
According to the ruling, cited by several Spanish media outlets, Gómez was charged with influence peddling in relation to a project — a university “chair” — she led at the Complutense University of Madrid.
The judge argued that since Sánchez became prime minister in 2018, “certain public decisions” were taken that favored this academic initiative.
Regarding the corruption charge, the judge alleged that Gómez mobilized private funds “not for the public university chair,” which he described as a façade, but to integrate them into her personal assets, also referring to “hidden compensation” linked to companies associated with public contract promises.
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The misappropriation charge relates to her aide Cristina Álvarez, who was employed by the Spanish government and paid with public funds but allegedly provided services to Gómez tied to her professional activities.
The embezzlement accusation concerns the registration and use by Gómez of software developed within the university chair.
Gómez, 55, has been under investigation since April 2024 following complaints filed by organizations described as close to the far right. She has appeared before the judge several times and has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The judge proceeded with the case despite two reports by Spain’s Civil Guard finding no evidence of wrongdoing and despite the prosecution’s request to drop the charges.
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The investigation prompted Sánchez in April 2024 to consider resigning, claiming that he and his wife were victims of a “smear campaign” by right-wing and far-right groups.
In September, also referring to a separate case involving his brother, David Sánchez, the prime minister said that some judges in Spain were “doing politics.”
“Although I trust the justice system and believe most judges do their job well, there are some who do not,” Sánchez said in an interview with public broadcaster TVE.
He described them as a minority that causes “tremendous damage” to the justice system and insisted that both his wife and brother had been targeted by “false accusations” from far-right organizations, expressing confidence that justice and time would “set things right.”
