Spanish PM's Wife Faces Corruption Trial, Travel Ban

A Spanish judge has ruled that Begoña Gómez, the wife of socialist prime minister Pedro Sánchez, must stand trial on corruption charges and has imposed a ban on her leaving the country. Judge Juan Carlos Peinado ordered Gómez to surrender her passport, prohibited her from exiting Spain, and required her to report to court twice a month until a verdict is reached. These precautionary measures were also extended to Cristina Álvarez, an adviser at the Moncloa Palace, with instructions issued to all border posts and civilian and military airports to ensure Gómez complies with the ban on leaving the country. Businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés, the third defendant in the case, is not subject to these restrictions. Gómez, 55, denies any wrongdoing and, according to sources close to her, plans to appeal these precautionary measures, particularly the confiscation of her passport.

The formal charges, which Judge Peinado issued in April after a two-year investigation, include embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings, and misappropriation of funds. The case is centered on the creation and management of a chair at Madrid’s Complutense University, which Gómez co-directed, and allegations that she exploited her position as Sánchez’s wife for private gain through the alleged use of public resources and personal connections. The judge noted in his charge that "The chair served as a means of private professional development for the person under investigation."

The legal proceedings have been fraught with intense political and legal controversy. The case was triggered by a complaint from Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), a self-styled trade union with far-right links. While the accusing parties requested a jury trial and argued for precautionary restrictions to prevent flight risk, both the Public Prosecutor’s Office and Gómez’s defence teams have repeatedly challenged the investigation, alleging irregularities and requesting the case be dismissed due to insufficient evidence. A trial by jury has been ordered for Gómez on an unspecified date.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has consistently dismissed the allegations against his wife as a baseless, politically motivated smear campaign. An outspoken leftist leader in Europe, he has accused his political and media opponents of persecuting his family and has openly questioned the impartiality of certain members of the judiciary. The Socialist party, in response to the judge’s ruling, stated on X that Gómez "has been subjected to judicial and political persecution for two years. Today’s development is another step in that process." Sánchez has also rejected opposition calls to resign and call early elections amidst these mounting scandals.

This investigation into Begoña Gómez is one of several corruption affairs that have embroiled Sánchez’s family and former top political allies, threatening to destabilize his minority coalition government. Sánchez came to power in 2018 promising to eradicate the graft that had plagued the previous conservative People’s party (PP) government. Although Sánchez himself has not been named in any of the cases, his brother, David, faces accusations of influence peddling, and former transport minister José Luis Ábalos is accused of taking kickbacks on public contracts; both deny the accusations. Furthermore, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, a former socialist prime minister and a significant figure on the Spanish left, was placed under investigation last month for alleged influence peddling, defending his innocence during recent hearings.