Sánchez's wife ordered to stand trial, passport seized
A Madrid judge sends Begoña Gómez to a jury trial on graft charges, deepening the corruption siege around Spain's prime minister
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Summary
On 20 June 2026 investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado ordered Pedro Sanchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, to stand trial before a popular jury on charges of influence peddling, corruption in business dealings, embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds. Peinado withdrew her passport, barred her from leaving Spain and ordered her to report to court twice a month; co-defendants María Cristina Álvarez and Juan Carlos Barrabés were also sent to trial. The order follows Peinado's 11 April processing decision. The case began with a 2024 complaint by Manos Limpias, an anti-corruption group with far-right ties. Gómez denies wrongdoing; Sánchez and the Psoe call it right-wing lawfare. It compounds parallel probes touching aide Santos Cerdán and ex-minister José Luis Ábalos.
The split
Spanish outlets divide on the prosecution itself: El Diario foregrounds Peinado's contested conduct and the complaint's far-right provenance; conservative papers treat the trial order as vindication. Infobae (Argentina) reports it procedurally, stripped of Madrid's partisan heat. Al Jazeera nests it in a wider corruption pile-up around Sánchez's circle. RT amplifies it as rot inside a NATO government, downplaying the disputed politics of who filed the case and why.
By the numbers
- 4, charges Gómez will face at jury trial.
- 2, co-defendants also sent to trial (Álvarez, Barrabés).
- Twice monthly, court-reporting obligation imposed on Gómez.
- 2024, year the Manos Limpias complaint launched the probe.
- 11 April 2026, Peinado's processing order preceding the trial decision.
Why it matters
A sitting prime minister's spouse facing a jury trial, with passport seized, sharpens an existential threat to Sánchez's fragile minority coalition as allied parties weigh whether to keep backing him. It tests the line between judicial independence and politicised prosecution in an EU member state.
What to watch
- Whether coalition partners (Sumar, ERC, Junts, PNV) signal withdrawal of support.
- Any move toward a confidence vote or snap election.
- Appeals against Peinado's order and the trial's scheduling.
- Spillover from the Cerdán/Ábalos kickback and Zapatero-linked probes.