A Madrid court on Tuesday, June 4, issued a summons for the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to appear on July 5 as part of a preliminary corruption probe into her business ties. The move comes after the court last week rejected prosecutors' request to close the probe into Begona Gomez, indicating there was "sufficient" evidence to justify continuing the investigation.
The decision to open the probe was a setback for the premier but a boost for his right-wing opponents who see the move as vindication of their allegations that he and his left-wing government are corrupt. "There is evidence that an alleged criminal offense was committed" which "goes beyond mere suspicion" and was "sufficient" to let the investigation continue, said court documents seen by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The court "has summoned Begona Gomez to appear as an investigated party on Friday, July 5 at 10 am (0800 GMT) as part of a preliminary investigation into the alleged offenses of corruption in the private sector and influence peddling," it said. The court opened the probe into Gomez for suspected influence peddling and corruption following a complaint filed by an anti-graft NGO linked to the far right. The group, Manos Limpias (Clean Hands) says its complaint is based on media reports. It has previously filed a litany of unsuccessful lawsuits against politicians in the past.
Although the court has not revealed any details about the investigation, online news site El Confidencial said it was focused on her ties to private firms that receiving funds or public contracts from the government during the pandemic. It said investigators were looking at her alleged relationship with Spanish tourism group Globalia, which owns Air Europa, when it was in talks to secure a huge government bailout.At the time, Gomez was running IE Africa Center which signed a sponsorship agreement with Globalia in 2020.
Sanchez immediately denounced what he said was a political campaign seeking to "harass and discredit" him by "media heavily influenced by the right and far-right" and backed by the right-wing opposition. When the court in April confirmed the probe, Sanchez said in a shock announcement that he would consider resigning. He took five days to reflect and in the end, decided to stay on. The opposition denounced the move as pure political theatre, saying Sanchez had never had any intention of stepping down.