Spanish court orders PM Sánchez's wife to stand trial

A Spanish court has ordered Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, to stand trial on corruption charges and has banned her from leaving the country. The order, issued by Judge Juan Carlos Peinado on Saturday, June 20, mandates that Gómez surrender her passport and report to the court twice monthly. The decision came just days before Spain's Supreme Court on Monday, June 22, sentenced Sánchez's former transport minister and close political ally, José Luis Ábalos, to 24 years in prison for corruption, delivering a major blow to the prime minister's minority government.

Judge Peinado formally charged Gómez in April with influence peddling, corruption in business dealings, embezzlement, and misappropriation of funds. The investigation, which began in April 2024, centers on allegations that she exploited her position for private gain related to a university chair she co-directed at Madrid's Complutense University and her connections to companies that received public contracts. Gómez and the prime minister have consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The judge's handling of the case has sparked significant controversy. In his ruling, Peinado justified the travel restrictions...