Spain's first lady Begoña Gómez to face corruption trial

A Madrid judge, Juan Carlos Peinado, has ordered Begoña Gómez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, to stand trial on charges of corruption, influence peddling, embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds linked to a public contract. The judge found sufficient evidence, revoked her passport and required her to appear before the court every 15 days; no trial date has been set.

Commentator Ángel Expósito described the surrounding media focus as an "envelopante" strategy intended to distract from the core issue of the trial. He also highlighted the related sentencing of former transport minister José Luis Ábalos, who received a 24‑year prison term for a mask‑procurement corruption scheme, noting that the emphasis should remain on the main judicial outcomes rather than peripheral procedural debates.

Political opposition parties have seized on the development, with the Popular Party calling for early elections, while the ruling PSOE stresses that the case is a judicial matter and not a political attack.