Spanish Prime Minister's wife Begoña Gómez ordered to face corruption trial and surrender passport

A Madrid court chaired by investigative judge Juan Carlos Peinado ordered Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, to stand trial on charges of influence‑peddling, corruption and misuse of public funds. The ruling requires her to surrender her passport, be barred from leaving Spain and appear before the court every two weeks until a verdict is reached.

The investigation, launched in April 2024, links Gómez to alleged favouritism in government contracts awarded to technology firms, as well as irregularities in the management of a university chair she co‑directed. The judge also named Gómez’s adviser Cristina Álvarez and businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés as co‑defendants on similar charges.

The decision sparked a political outcry, with opposition parties demanding Sánchez’s resignation and the governing Socialist Party calling the move a “scandal for democracy”. Sánchez has dismissed the case as a smear campaign by conservative opponents ahead of the upcoming general election.