Latest news with #BegoñaGómez
Local Spain
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Local Spain
EXPLAINED: The five corruption probes troubling Spain's PM
Wife Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, has been under investigation since April 2024 for alleged corruption and influence peddling related to her time working at Madrid's Complutense University. This followed complaints from two groups with far-right ties: "Manos Limpias" (Clean Hands) and "Hazte Oír" (Make Your Voice Heard). She is also suspected of having illegally appropriated software financed by private companies and initially intended for the university. When the 50-year-old was questioned in court in December, she said she had "nothing to hide". The Socialist Party has dismissed the allegations against her as part of a "smear campaign" orchestrated by the right. Protestors carry an image of Begoña Gomez, the wife of Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, outside the court where she was questioned as part of a probe into alleged misappropriation in Madrid. Photo: OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP. Ex-minister Sánchez's former transport minister José Luis Ábalos, formerly a member of his inner circle, is also under investigation. He has been accused of having taken kickbacks for contracts to buy masks and other medical supplies in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. Sánchez removed him from office in July 2021 and he was expelled from the Socialist Party in February 2024 when the affair broke. He still sits as an independent member of parliament. The investigation, which also concerns other possible rigged public contracts, took a dramatic turn on Thursday with the release of a police report implicating Santos Cerdán, the Socialist Party's number three, in the case. Cerdán, a longtime associate of Sánchez, stepped down from his role in the party and as a lawmaker in response. Brother The prime minister's younger brother, David Sánchez, has been under investigation since 2024 for alleged embezzlement, influence peddling and tax fraud following a complaint from Manos Limpias. The group accuses him of using his brother's influence to secure a public sector job in the southwestern province of Badajoz, which is run by the Socialists, and of collecting a salary without showing up to work --allegations he denies. Judicial leaks The prime minister's entourage is also accused of leaking information to the media for political reasons. The case in question is a tax fraud case involving the partner of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, head of the Madrid region and a leading figure in Spain's opposition conservative Popular Party. Alberto González Amador, a businessman, reportedly proposed a guilty plea deal to the public prosecutor's office by email in an attempt to avoid a trial and a possible jail term. This email was leaked to the press. Amador accused state prosecutors of having violated his right to privacy and in October the Supreme Court opened a probe into Spain's top prosecutor, Álvaro García Ortiz, who is accused of being behind the leak. The Supreme Court on Monday said that there is sufficient evidence to send Ortiz, who was appointed by Sánchez's government in 2022, to trial. Ortiz has denied leaking any information about Amador, either personally or through his office. Spain's top prosecutor Alvaro García Ortiz arrives to testify in the Supreme Court in Madrid. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP) Leire Díez affair Socialist Party member Leire Díez is accused of carrying out a smear campaign against a police unit that investigated graft allegations against Sanchez's wife, brother and his former right-hand man. In leaked audio recordings, she appears to offer judicial leniency to a police commander and businessman in exchange for potentially compromising information on top members of the unit. She has denied the allegations, saying she was conducting research for a book and was not working on behalf of the party or Sánchez. She also resigned from the Socialist Party earlier this month.
Local Spain
2 days ago
- Politics
- Local Spain
Court to probe if Spain's PM bailed out airline after they paid his wife
The ruling came a day after the Supreme Court found that Spain's top prosecutor -- a government appointee -- might have breached judicial secrecy in another case, potentially paving the way for a trial. It also follows separate corruption investigations involving Sánchez's wife, his brother, and a former close aide. Madrid's High Court said it had directed the Civil Service Ministry's Office for Conflicts of Interest to investigate whether Sánchez should have recused himself from a 2020 Cabinet meeting that approved a €475 million bailout for Air Europa during the COVID-19 pandemic. The probe stems from a complaint filed by the conservative Popular Party, or PP. That complaint alleges that Globalia -- Air Europa's parent company -- was sponsoring projects linked to Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, at the time of the bailout. "Sánchez gave public funds to someone who had financially supported his wife, and his direct involvement in the bailout must be investigated," PP sources said Wednesday. The court did not rule on the substance of the allegations. But it did state that the Office for Conflicts of Interest had a legal obligation to examine the case — even if it ultimately finds no wrongdoing. A copy of the June 6th ruling was made public on Wednesday. An initial request by the PP in March was dismissed by the office, which cited a report from the prime minister's general secretariat stating that Gómez had no professional ties to Globalia. However, the court criticised the office for relying solely on that report and said it had found no evidence that a formal investigation had been conducted. Gomez has been under judicial investigation since April over allegations that she may have used her husband's position to advance her professional interests. A court recently ordered part of that probe -- specifically regarding her ties to Globalia -- to be dropped due to a lack of evidence. Sánchez has consistently defended his wife and his government, accusing right-wing and far-right parties of orchestrating what he describes as a smear campaign aimed at destabilizing his administration.
