The Prime Minister of Spain has been summoned by the judiciary, Pedro Sanchesto testify on July 30 to an appellate investigator about corruption and undue influence charges against his wife, Begonia Gometh.
The appeal investigator, Juan Carlos Peinado, will hear the head of the Government “on July 30, at 11:00 am”, as a “witness” at the Moncloa Palace, the official residence of the head of the Government, the Madrid court said in a statement, in which the judge belongs. .
The Sanchez stop
The socialist leader, who has maintained since the beginning of the case that his wife did nothing wrong and that they are the target of “strategic harassment”, will have to testify about alleged undue influence. He should be “investigated” regarding “possible elements that constitute this crime”, Peinado assesses in his ruling.
“Sánchez has not given any explanations to Congress, he has not given any explanations to the media: he has to give them before a judge,” Borja Semper, spokesman for the right-wing Popular Party (PP), the largest opposition party, told RTVE television.
“We expect the rule of law to work (…) No one is above the law, not even the Prime Minister or his entourage, all political leaders must understand this,” he continued.
“We have always said that we would do everything we could and use all available means to end the most corrupt government in history,” said Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party.
The announcement of Pedro Sánchez’s summons comes at a time when Begonia Gomet asserted her right to remain silent on Friday, when she was summoned by the judiciary, with the defense stating that the case, which began with the filing of a lawsuit by a group of distant suspects, has “no reason to exist”.
His silence was strongly criticized by the PP, but also by Vox, which considered it an “insult to the Spanish people” and asked Sánchez to personally explain to the judge.
The accusations against Sanchez’s wife
Pedro Sánchez’s wife is suspected of using her husband’s office in the context of her business dealings – namely with Juan Carlos Barabes, a Spanish businessman whose businesses were in negotiations to receive state sponsorship.
The investigation against her was launched after a lawsuit filed by Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), a far-right group that claims to be based on press articles. A second organization, Hazte oir (Make You Heard), later joined the lawsuit.
Testifying today before Judge Peinado, Barabes, who teaches in a structure run by Begonia Gomet at the Complutense University of Madrid, admitted that he met Sánchez’s wife five or six times in Montclos, two of them in the presence of the Prime Minister.
The businessman, who was investigated in the case, received letters of recommendation from Ms Gomet for tenders worth millions of euros. He told the judge that these meetings were limited to questions about innovation, according to a judicial source.
At the beginning of the investigation, at the end of April, Pedro Sánchez caused surprise by suspending his activities for five days, saying he was considering resigning. Since then, he has not stopped denouncing a case fueled by the “right-wing and extreme right” media.
The prosecution, finding there was no evidence, requested that the investigation be dropped in late April. But that request was rejected by Judge Peinado, despite a militia report concluding that there had been no wrongdoing by Ms. Gometh.
The case, which has been criticized by the opposition, prompted Pedro Sánchez to announce a “democratic rebirth” law aimed at what he said was a fight against disinformation. The plan, criticized by the opposition, will be debated in Parliament in the coming weeks.
Sources: AMPE, AFP, Reuters