Pedro Sánchez, the Prime Minister of Spain, is set to provide testimony this Tuesday, as a part of the ongoing inquiry into business activities of his wife. The opposition believes should result in his resignation, a move dismissed by some who consider this an instance of political bias within the judiciary.
The wife of Spain’s Socialist leader, Begoña Gómez, has had legal proceedings against her by the Madrid Court since April. A far-right connected movement, Clean Hands, launched the lawsuit against her, citing assumed influence peddling and corruption in business. The accusations assert that Gómez misused her power for her personal gain, giving government contracts and Covid relief funds to companies she is associated with. Investigating Judge, Juan Carlos Peinado, is particularly examining if she exploited her influential position to attain sponsorship for a postgraduate programme she led at Complutense University in Madrid.
Gómez, earlier in this month, was called in by the Judge for questioning. She opted not to respond based on her constitutional right. In a dramatic shift, Sánchez is also being called for testifying as a witness this Tuesday at La Moncloa, the Prime Minister’s official residence. Despite the lawsuit, Sánchez staunchly maintains his wife’s innocence, and has asked to submit written responses rather than appear in person.
Mariano Rajoy, a conservative from the Popular Party (PP) back in 2017 was the last prime minister to be involved in a criminal case. The trial found the PP guilty of corruption, resulting in Sánchez calling a parliamentary vote of no confidence against Rajoy, subsequently succeeding him as the Prime Minister.
Sánchez in April had issued an open letter to Spanish citizens on social media, expressing his contemplation of stepping down due to the strain the ongoing investigation was inflicting on his family. However, he decided to stay on ultimately. A subsequent letter in June again refuted the investigation, terming it as a politically-orchestrated vilification campaign.
Conversely, the political right has been presenting this lawsuit as unambiguous evidence of the government’s corruption.
“Mr Sánchez, there’s a need for a resignation, and you need to draft a final letter to preserve the peace of Spanish democracy,” quoted PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo. Santiago Abascal, the head of Vox, one of several extreme right parties standing as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, assured that his party is committed to discontinuing what he termed the “most corrupt government in history”.
Despite that, various elements of the case have raised concerns about the judge’s conduct. The only evidence against Gómez comprised of news cutouts from right-leaning publications, some of which has proven to be incorrect. Furthermore, both the civil guard police and the Madrid prosecutor’s department have expressed that they observe no indications of misconduct.
The government and its left-wing affiliates have condemned the investigation, characterising it as an exploitation of the judiciary – an institution long claimed to be swayed by the political right – to destabilise the government. Justice Minister Félix Bolaños categorised it as an “unrelenting political witch-hunt.”
Legal experts have noted that Peinado didn’t consult with other significant potential witnesses and that Sánchez would only be required to respond to the judge as the husband of the accused, not as the Prime Minister.
“Is this genuinely irrelevant to his Prime Minister role, and only about Pedro Sánchez Castejón [as Gómez’s spouse]?” questioned Manuel Cancio, a law lecturer at Madrid’s Autonomous University. “This seems ludicrous. It’s not narrated earnestly and I believe anyone can perceive that.”