THE wife of embattled Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has been handed the green light to visit the UK – despite having her passport confiscated ahead of her high-profile corruption trial.
Last month, judge Juan Carlos Peinado imposed a range of ‘precautionary measures’ on Begoña Gomez ahead of her trial by jury, including a ban on leaving Spain, the withdrawal of her passport and a requirement to report to court every fortnight.
But judge Antonio Viejo, covering Peinado while he is on holiday, has granted Gomez permission to travel to London to attend her daughter’s graduation ceremony.
However, he stopped short of allowing her to travel alongside her husband for this week’s NATO summit in Turkey, citing differences in legal status between the country and the UK.
“As several of the private prosecutors have pointed out, Turkey is not part of the European Union’s area of freedom, security and justice, where police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters is facilitated by its institutional framework,” Viejo wrote.
He said Gomez had only been invited to the summit ‘for reasons of international courtesy’ and would play ‘no active role’ in proceedings.
Referencing her proposed visit to the UK, Viejo wrote: “This request should be granted, given both the strong judicial cooperation between Spain and the United Kingdom, even after Brexit, and the nature of the event she intends to attend.”
Government sources slammed the decision to block her Turkey trip as ‘incomprehensible’, according to El Pais, while transport minister Oscar Puente said the suggestion that Gomez might flee while accompanying the prime minister on an official international trip was ‘completely crazy’.
Earlier this year, Gomez was formally charged with influence peddling, embezzlement and misappropriation of funds following a two-year investigation into her professional life.
The probe was launched by a Madrid court in April 2024 after a complaint was lodged by Manos Limpias (‘Clean Hands’), a trade union with far-right links.
Gomez, 55, who denies any wrongdoing, is accused of using her proximity to the prime minister’s office to secure a post at Madrid’s Compultense University and benefit business contacts.
Sanchez has consistently dismissed the case, instead accusing the media and opposition of launching a ‘harassment and bullying operation’ against his family.
The upcoming trial is one of several corruption cases involving figures at the heart of Sanchez’s administration and family.
His brother, David Sanchez, is awaiting a court verdict after becoming the first relative of a sitting Spanish premier to stand trial in a corruption case in the country’s democratic history.
He faces accusations of influence peddling relating to his appointment to a publicly funded cultural role in Extremadura.
Last month, a former Spanish transport minister and key Sanchez ally was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison over his role in a Covid-19 face mask corruption scandal.
Jose Luis Abalos, 66, was found guilty of criminal organisation, bribery, embezzlement and influence peddling as part of what has become known as the Koldo case.
The scheme centred on the dodgy awarding of government contracts for more than 13 million face masks at the height of the pandemic, with Abalos accused of taking lucrative kickbacks on deals he agreed.
A probe is also underway into former socialist prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who was placed under investigation last month for alleged influence peddling.
The cases have piled pressure on Sanchez, who has vowed to stand firm and contest next year’s general election.
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