Madrid: The wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is testifying in court on Friday as part of a preliminary investigation into corruption in her business dealings, two weeks after the original hearing was suspended.
The investigation into Begona Gomez for alleged corruption and influence-peddling has infuriated Sanchez, who has insisted there is “absolutely nothing” to the allegations.
Although Gomez attended court on July 5 to testify in closed session before Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, the hearing was suspended within minutes after her attorney said.
The hearing has been adjourned until Friday, when Gomez will appear at 10:00 (08:00 GMT) before Peinad in a highly anticipated hearing as the right-wing steps up its attacks on the government over the issue.
The investigation was launched on 16 April following a complaint by Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), a far-right-linked NGO that alleged private sector corruption and influence-peddling, admitting that its claims were based on media reports. .
Gomez, who has worked in fundraising for years, mainly for foundations and non-governmental organizations, is suspected of using Sanchez’s position as leverage in her professional circles, especially with businessman.
Barrabes, who teaches part of a master’s course at Madrid’s Complutense University run by Gomez, admitted meeting her five or six times in Moncloa, the Spanish prime minister’s official residence, before the judge on Monday.
Sánchez was also present at two of those meetings, he said.
The entrepreneurs, who received two letters of recommendation from Gomez before applying for the multimillion-euro public tender, said such meetings only touched on matters of innovation, judicial sources said.
“There is absolutely nothing” unusual about such meetings, Socialist Party spokeswoman Esther Pena said, adding that it was normal for Sanchez to “meet businessmen, cultural bodies or institutions.”
The Guardia civil police investigators took the same view, submitting a new report to the court in early July concluding that there were no irregularities on Gomez’s part.
The public prosecutor’s office also called for the case to be closed due to lack of evidence at the end of April.
But Peinado rejected that, insisting there was “sufficient” evidence to warrant continuing the investigation.
Feijoo, head of the right-wing People’s Party (PP), again called on Sanchez to resign.
When news of the investigation emerged in April, Sanchez shocked Spain by announcing he was considering resigning over what he described as a campaign of political harassment by the right.
Gomez didn’t want to give up her career when her husband became prime minister in 2018 and kept a very low public profile. He does not hold public office.
