Spain's Vox to appeal acquittal of PM Sánchez's brother in influence‑trading case

Vox announced it will file an appeal before the Extremadura High Court against the acquittal of David Sánchez, the brother of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, on charges of traffic of influences. Party spokesperson José Antonio Fúster said, "existen pruebas suficientes para que David Sánchez y los demás responsables sean también condenados".

Judge Santiago Pedraz of the Audiencia Nacional has ordered Juan Manuel Serrano, former chief of staff to the prime minister and ex‑president of Correos, to hand over his mobile phone for forensic duplication as part of the investigation dubbed the "cloacas del PSOE". The judge set a hearing for 5 August to verify the copy, after a procedural error was reported when the UCO cloned the device without Serrano present.

The investigations form a broader corruption scandal surrounding the PSOE government: David Sánchez was previously sentenced to nine years of special disqualification, former minister José Luis Ábalos received a 24‑year prison sentence for a mask‑procurement case, and other figures such as Leire Díez, Begoña Gómez and former deputy José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero are under probe. Opposition parties (PP and Vox) have called for early general elections, while Madrid Mayor José Luis Martínez‑Almeida demanded to know whether David Sánchez resides in the Moncloa Palace, stating "tienen derecho a saberlo".