Begoña Gómez’s passport withdrawal sparks legal clash over flight‑risk claims

Judge Juan Carlos Peinado ordered the seizure of Begoña Gómez’s passport, a travel ban and mandatory bi‑weekly court appearances, arguing a risk that she could flee Spain. In his justification he cited the historical example of former Italian premier Bettino Craxi’s escape to Tunisia and warned that police could potentially aid such a flight, though he insisted he did not intend to offend law‑enforcement officers.

The Madrid Public Prosecutor’s Office appealed the measures, stating that both Gómez and her advisor Cristina Álvarez have strong residential ties to Spain, no foreign assets and therefore pose no flight risk. The prosecutor described the passport seizure and court‑attendance requirement as “illogical” and “without sense.”

Justice Minister Félix Bolaños defended the judiciary’s actions, asserting that the risk of flight is zero and that judicial cooperation with the United Kingdom and Turkey is “extraordinary.”

In parallel, former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has asked the court and the tax agency to suspend a fiscal inspection he says is unilateral and prejudicial to his criminal case. The judiciary has also ordered the police unit UDEF to limit its reports to strictly relevant facts in Zapatero’s investigation.