Corruption charges filed against wife of Spanish Prime Minister

Corruption charges have been filed against Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, following a two-year investigation, as reported by AFP late on Monday, April 13.

As detailed in a court document released on the same day, 55-year-old Gómez is accused of abuse of influence, corruption in business, misappropriation of funds, and embezzlement.

The investigation into her began in April 2024 at the initiative of Judge Juan Carlos Peinado.

What is the wife of the Spanish Prime Minister accused of?

At the center of the investigators' attention was a personal project of Begoña Gómez—a department at the Complutense University of Madrid called 'Competitive Social Transformation.' According to experts, there was no necessity for such a department with a name unclear to many, and pressure was allegedly exerted on the university's administration to establish it.

After the investigation began, the department was closed as 'having neither scientific nor practical purpose.'

In October 2024, the investigation was expanded following a lawsuit against the Prime Minister's wife filed by the far-right organization Hazte Oír, on suspicion of her illegally appropriating software from the Complutense University of Madrid.

Another alleged violation by Gómez is the unlawful use of a state-paid official, Cristina Álvarez, as a personal assistant for her private business projects.

Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez and his wife Gómez deny the allegations

Both Begoña Gómez and her husband Pedro Sánchez deny the charges brought against her. Sánchez, for his part, describes the investigation into his wife as part of a campaign by the right-wing opposition, which he believes aims to destabilize his government.

'Due to cases of corruption in his inner circle, the socialist Prime Minister is under pressure, and as a result, the opposition is demanding his resignation,' AFP recalls.

Source: DW