Judge Ismael Moreno of the National Court has rejected for the second time a request for Begoña Gómez, the wife of the Spanish Prime Minister, to be called as a witness in the Koldo case. The judge stated that the information provided was unverified journalistic reports and that there was no evidence in the police investigations or case documents showing Gómez’s involvement in the events under investigation. The request was made by the Liberum association, which has ties to Covid denial movements, and is acting as a private prosecution in the case involving alleged irregularities in the awarding of mask supply contracts during the pandemic.
The judge and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office had previously dismissed the indications provided by Liberum, and on April 18, the judge rejected the request to summon Begoña Gómez as a witness. However, Liberum appealed this decision, arguing that Gómez could provide information about the mask purchases being investigated and insisting that she should testify due to her potential connection to Air Europa and one of the suspects in the Koldo case, businessman Víctor de Aldama. The judge’s decision to refuse the summons for Gómez was based on the Prosecutor’s Office’s opinion, which also opposed the request, stating that there was no evidence linking Gómez to the events under investigation in the case.
The Prosecutor’s Office pointed out that the journalistic reports suggesting Gómez’s possible ties to one of the suspects, Víctor de Aldama, were not indicative of any wrongdoing, and there was no concrete evidence of Gómez’s involvement in the activities being investigated. The judge supported the Prosecutor’s Office’s stance, stating that the mere existence of contacts or meetings between Gómez and one of the suspects did not necessarily imply her knowledge or relationship to the events under investigation. The judge’s decision can be appealed within the National Court.
The association Liberum, which requested Begoña Gómez’s testimony, was formed during the pandemic and has been linked to Covid denial movements. They believe that there are indications of Gómez’s involvement with some of the suspects or companies under investigation in the case. However, both the judge and the Prosecutor’s Office have maintained that there is no concrete evidence to support this claim, and the request to summon Gómez as a witness has been rejected twice. The decision can be appealed within the National Court, and the investigation into the alleged irregularities in mask supply contracts during the pandemic continues.
Overall, the judge’s decision to deny the request to call Begoña Gómez as a witness in the Koldo case was based on the lack of concrete evidence linking her to the events under investigation. The Prosecutor’s Office also supported this stance, stating that journalistic reports suggesting Gómez’s possible involvement with one of the suspects did not demonstrate her knowledge or relationship to the activities being scrutinized. The case, which revolves around alleged irregularities in mask supply contracts during the pandemic, remains ongoing, and the decision can be appealed within the National Court.
