Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will testify today before Judge Juan Carlos Peinado regarding alleged influence peddling and corruption by his wife Begoña Gómez.
Ahead of the case, the Spanish Professional Association of Magistrates (APM) denounced criticism of presiding Judge Peinado in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, stressing the “importance of respecting judicial independence“.
“What is not and cannot be admitted in any way is the personal attack on the judge, even on his family, the veiled accusations of prevarication or the attempt to give him instructions on what decisions he should take in the proceedings,” the APM said.
That came just days after Brussels released its annual report on the rule of law in the European Union, which has remained silent on the issue.
The private prosecution is on behalf of Spain’s Vox party and the associations HazteOír.org (HO) and Iustitutia Europa (IE).
Sources close to the case said Judge Peinado “has decided to continue with the process despite the series of attacks suffered not only from the media linked to the Socialist party”.
There has been criticism of the “favourable treatment“ given to Sánchez, who was allowed to make a statement from the presidential palace of Moncloa instead of going to court.
Only Vox will be in La Moncloa to make allegations.
That has several interpretations, according to another source close to the case. “On the one hand, Vox alone being present would dismantle what Sánchez lately calls the ‘far-right alliance’ and the ‘mud machine’; on the other, he could use it to justify a persecution of the political far-right and the ‘judicialisation’ of politics.
“The logical thing to do would be for him to play the card of his status as the husband of the accused in order not to testify,“ the source said.
Legal experts claimed that what Sánchez was looking for was for the case to pass to the Supreme Court, which would be expected to declare it null and void. This might however work against him because “the world press would echo that … Sánchez has got off scot-free because of his status as president [of the council of ministers], not because of his innocence.”
“The important thing is that the trial is opened because it would indicate that there really is a case to be investigated,” said other sources close to the case.
“The verdict is another matter, but what is clear is that the independence of powers in Spain is far from satisfactory,” they concluded.
Begoña Gómez is under investigation for allegedly committing crimes of influence peddling and corruption in business.
The investigation focuses on possible undue influence and acts of corruption related to her professional and business activity.
Given that Begoña Gómez is the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the case has significant political implications and has generated an intense debate on transparency and corruption in government.
The case revolves around a position created at the Complutense University of Madrid specifically for her, despite the fact that she does not have a university degree.
According to the investigation, she took advantage of the chair to receive public subsidies, both for herself and for certain businessmen, taking advantage of her public figure and the contacts.
In a recent letter, her lawyer acknowledges that she used the palace of La Moncloa as a place of work, which suggests that Sánchez was fully aware of his wife’s activities.
She has appeared in court on a couple of occasions. On the first occasion, she claimed to be unaware of the charges against her; on the second, she refused to testify.
Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez will disburse €100 million from European Funds to fight media “disinformation”, he announced this week. https://t.co/Rtwwr91Dir
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) July 18, 2024
