Madrid, Spain. A Spanish judge ruled on Saturday that Begoña Gomez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, must stand trial on corruption charges and cannot leave the country. Gomez denies wrongdoing in the case, which was brought by far-right groups.
Court orders and allegations
Investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado ordered Gomez to surrender her passport, barred her from leaving Spain and required her to report to court twice a month.
Gomez is under investigation over allegations that she used her position as the prime minister’s wife to secure work contracts.
Political pressure on Sanchez
The case is one of several corruption probes nearing trial or already at trial that are weighing on Sanchez, one of Europe’s few remaining leftist leaders.
Sanchez has not been named in any of the cases and has said they are part of a campaign to remove him from office.
Investigations involving allies
Several close allies are under investigation, including the Socialist party’s number three and Sanchez’s former transport minister.
The cases involve alleged kickbacks linked to public works, oil and gas contracts, and the procurement of masks during the pandemic. Those under investigation deny wrongdoing.
Separate High Court investigation
Separately, Spain’s High Court said it was investigating former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero over allegations that he led a network that profited from lobbying public authorities on behalf of third parties, including airline Plus Ultra.
Zapatero denies the claims.