In a major legal development that has sent shockwaves through Spanish politics, a Spanish court has officially filed four criminal charges against Begoña Gómez, the wife of incumbent Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, concluding a two-year long criminal investigation into alleged corrupt activity. The charges handed down include embezzlement, influence peddling, business corruption, and misappropriation of public funds, according to the formal court ruling released this week. The case now enters a new phase, with judiciary officials set to determine in coming weeks whether Gómez will proceed to a public trial.
The core allegations against Gómez center on claims that she leveraged her close familial connection to the Spanish prime minister to advance her own private professional interests, including securing a senior academic position at one of Spain’s most prestigious higher education institutions, Madrid’s Complutense University. Investigators further allege that she diverted public resources to benefit private projects and personal gain. Investigating Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, who opened the initial probe in April 2024, has highlighted Gómez’s lack of relevant academic and professional qualifications for her role leading a master’s degree program in business studies at the university as key evidence supporting the charges.
The original complaint against Gómez was brought forward by Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), a Spanish anti-corruption activist group headed by Miguel Bernad, a figure with documented ties to Spain’s far-right political sphere. The organization has a well-documented history of bringing a long string of unsuccessful legal claims against left-leaning Spanish politicians over the past decade.
Gómez has issued a firm denial of all charges brought against her. For his part, Prime Minister Sánchez has repeatedly dismissed the entire investigation as a coordinated political smear campaign orchestrated by Spain’s right-wing and far-right opposition to destabilize his left-wing coalition government. When the investigation was first launched in 2024, Sánchez made the unprecedented decision to suspend all public official duties for five days, stating he would pause to reflect on whether he would continue in his role as prime minister. He accused political opponents of waging a months-long “harassment strategy” designed to weaken him politically and personally target his family. As the charges were made public this week, Gómez and Sánchez were already out of the country, carrying out a scheduled official state visit to China.
This latest legal development comes amid a string of ongoing corruption-related cases affecting senior figures linked to Sánchez and his government. Just this month, José Luis Ábalos, Sánchez’s former transport minister, went on trial on charges that he accepted illegal kickbacks in connection with public contracts for personal protective equipment (PPE) purchased by the Spanish government at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Separately, the prime minister’s brother, David Sánchez, has also been indicted in an unrelated influence peddling probe connected to his hiring by a Spanish regional government.