The Madrid Court of Appeal will speak out on Monday in the most high-profile case of magistrate Juan Carlos Peinado, which implicates Begoña Gómez, the wife of the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, being charged with influence peddling and corruption in business dealings. The provincial court is reviewing appeals from the Public Prosecutor and the lawyer of the Prime Minister’s wife, arguing that the investigation conducted by Peinado is full of irregularities and lacks evidence. Gómez’s defense has requested the dismissal of the entire case, although the Court of Appeal may only limit the scope of the investigation, a possibility that the Public Prosecutor has also raised. The decision that will be made will have a significant impact, not only judicially but also in other aspects.
The focus has been on the Court of Appeal for over two months. On July 23, the court set September 30 as the date for deliberating and voting on the appeals against Peinado’s investigation. Through a statement, the High Court of Madrid (TSJM) already announced that the details of the debate will not be disclosed on Monday, with the final resolution to be communicated later after the judge prepares the ruling. However, in some cases, courts briefly disclose the outcome of their decision initially and provide detailed reasoning later.
To thoroughly review the case before pronouncing a verdict, the Court of Appeal requested Peinado to send all the case files. Among this documentation are two reports from the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard that ruled out any irregularities. Peinado has not halted his investigation since it began in April. He has conducted several rounds of interrogations in July and August, with no significant progress. In September, he reactivated different lines of investigation without specifying the object of his inquiries, including requesting more information from various organizations relating to a master’s degree directed by Begoña Gómez and pressing the Civil Guard for a report on documents provided by SEPI regarding the rescue of Air Europa.
Despite the pending decision of the Court of Appeal, Peinado has scheduled inquiries for mid-October, summoning Sonsoles Blanca Gil de Antuñano, the Head of Human Resources at the Instituto de Empresa (IE), where Sánchez’s wife led the IE Africa Center. The defense of Begoña Gómez has accused Peinado of conducting a “prospective investigation” to delve into her personal life and discover potential criminal activities. The Public Prosecutor has also criticized Peinado for not defining the scope of his investigation and launching generic initiatives lacking specificity.
The Fiscalía argued that Peinado exceeded the limits set by the Court of Appeal, which restricted the investigation to specific allegations related to contracts awarded to companies linked to businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés. Despite this, Peinado continued to investigate Gómez’s relationship with Barrabés and all her actions since her husband became Prime Minister, as specified in the initial complaint from Manos Limpias. Gómez’s defense filed a complaint against Peinado, alleging bias and illegal investigation tactics. The outcome of the Court of Appeal’s decision will have far-reaching consequences not only in the judicial realm but also in other areas.
