A Madrid court opened a preliminary investigation into the wife of the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, for suspicions of influence peddling and corruption, the judiciary reported this Wednesday.
In a brief statement, the Superior Court of Justice of Madrid (TSJM) announced that a city court opened an “investigation for the alleged commission of the crimes of influence peddling and corruption in business against Begoña Gómez.”
Pedro Sánchez.
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He did not give further details, but the statement was issued a few hours after the digital media El Confidencial published a story stating that investigators were examining Gómez's links with several private companies, which ended up receiving funds and public contracts from the government.
El Confidencial states that the investigation is related to Gómez's alleged links with the Spanish tourism group Globalia, owner of the airline Air Europa, at a time when he was holding talks with the government to obtain a large-scale rescue for the company, seriously affected by the drop in air traffic due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Pedro Sanchez and his wife Begoña Gómez.
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El Confidencial states that Begoña Gómez's “IE Africa Center signed a sponsorship agreement with Globalia in 2020” and that the wife of the President of the Government “met privately with the CEO of the tourist holding company, Javier Hidalgo, in the company's own offices”.
“On those same dates, Globalia was negotiating a million-dollar rescue with the Government,” the media added.
In November 2020, in fact, the Sánchez government offered an aid line of 475 million euros ($507 million) to Air Europa.
Questioned in the Congress of Deputies about the investigation, Sánchez responded that he trusts in justice.
“On a day like today, and after the news I have learned, despite everything, I continue to believe in the justice of my country,” said the socialist leader.
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