Spanish Prime Minister Testifies in Corruption Case Involving His Wife

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is scheduled to testify today, Tuesday, as part of a judicial investigation into corruption and abuse of power allegations against his wife. This issue prompted him to consider resigning in April. Under Spanish law, relatives of the accused, including spouses, may choose not to answer questions when summoned to court. The initial investigation aims to determine whether Begoña Gómez used her influence as the Prime Minister's wife to secure financial sponsors for a college degree program she managed. Sánchez has denied the allegations against her, stating they are baseless and orchestrated by his far-right political opponents. Accompanying Judge Benado will be representatives from the public prosecutor's office and a lawyer from the far-right Vox party, utilizing a legal mechanism known as "popular accusation," allowing ordinary individuals to file criminal lawsuits against third parties. This marks the first time a serving Spanish Prime Minister has been asked to testify in a case since former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was summoned to testify in 2017 regarding corruption allegations against several members of his party, which ultimately led to a no-confidence vote in 2018, enabling Sánchez to assume his current position.