Spain: Pedro Sánchez to testify before a judge in the case against his wife for alleged corruption

ANDThe President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchezwill testify as a witness on July 30 in the judicial investigation against his wife for alleged corruption and influence peddling, in a case that has politically weakened the socialist president.

The judge in charge of the case against Begoña Gomez will travel to the “official office and address of the witness, the Presidential Complex of Moncloa”, the headquarters of the Government, to take a statement “as a witness” Pedro Sanchez Perez Castejonnext July 30, at 11:00 a.m.,” the court said in a statement.

Since the beginning of the investigation, Sánchez has maintained his wife’s innocence in this matter, which has led the opposition to step up its attacks against the government.

The announcement by Judge Juan Carlos Peinado comes after Gómez appeared in court on Friday and invoked his right not to testify before the judge.claiming that the proceedings against him “have no purpose,” according to his lawyer Antonio Camacho.

A decision criticized by the conservative Popular Party (PP), the main opposition party, but also by the far-right Vox, which described Gómez’s silence as “a real insult to the Spanish people and an attack on the judiciary” and asked the judge to call Sánchez to testify to explain himself.

The story behind the Pedro Sánchez case

“Sanchez has not given any explanations in Congress, he has not given any explanations to the media, he will have to give them to a judge,” PP spokesman Borja Sémper told reporters on Monday.

“This is normal in a state governed by the rule of law and no one is above the law, not even the Prime Minister or those around him,” continued Sémper, whose party has called for Sánchez’s resignation over the case.

Gómez, who specialises in fundraising, especially for foundations and NGOs, is suspected of having taken advantage of her husband’s position in her professional relationships, in particular with Juan Carlos Barrabés, a Spanish businessman who received public aid.

Barrabés – who teaches a master’s degree at the Complutense University of Madrid directed by Gómez – admitted to the judge last Monday having met with Sánchez’s wife five or six times in Moncloa, two of them in the presence of the president of the government.

The businessman, who received letters of recommendation from Gómez to participate in tenders worth several million euros, said, however, that these meetings were limited to discussing innovation issues, according to sources close to the case.

Judge Peinado justified Sánchez’s statement by pointing out that in the case of influence peddling, it is necessary to examine “the possible relationship of the person under investigation with an authority,” according to his ruling.

Pedro Sanchez considered resigning

The investigation was opened following a complaint from Manos Limpiasa group close to the extreme right, admitted to having relied exclusively on press articles. A second association, Hazte Oreiro, later joined the cause.

The Civil Guard investigators have submitted two reports to the court, one of them at the beginning of July, concluding that there were no irregularities on the part of Gómez, while the Prosecutor’s Office has requested that the case be archived, which the investigating judge has refused, as he has noted “sufficient” elements to keep it open.

When the investigation became public at the end of April, Sánchez surprised the entire country by announcing that he was considering resigning. Ultimately, after taking five days to reflect, he decided to stay in power.

Since then, he has reiterated his denunciation of a strategy of “harassment and overthrow” against his left-wing government carried out by “media with a marked right-wing and far-right orientation”, supported by the opposition.

“Begoña Gómez is suffering cruel, unjust persecution in a judicial process riddled with lies and insignificance, where all the reports and all the statements prove that there is nothing and that is why the truth will win and justice will prevail and the case will be closed,” said the Minister of Justice, Félix Bolaños, last Friday.