The pseudo-union Manos Limpias has filed an expanded complaint against Begoña Gómez, accusing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of being complicit in his wife’s business dealings. The organization’s general secretary, Miguel Bernad, refused to make the complaint public due to its confidential status, but stated that it details the aid granted by the Council of Ministers to Globalia, the owner of Air Europa, a company Gómez had professional ties with. The complaint is based on public documents showing alleged favoritism towards the company by the government. This new complaint adds to a previous one filed against Gómez for allegedly recommending or endorsing businessmen in public tenders and using her personal status to do so.
Manos Limpias has filed three expansions to the original complaint since April, providing additional evidence such as public contracts awarded to a businessman who included a letter of support from Gómez. The latest expansion focuses on a 475 million euro grant given by the Council of Ministers to Globalia in 2020 as part of a larger fund to help companies affected by the Covid-19 crisis. The union claims that Globalia did not meet the requirements for the grant, particularly being up to date with tax payments. Despite criticisms for relying on media reports in their initial complaint, the organization aims to counter these with the new evidence presented in the expansions.
While Manos Limpias now implicates Sánchez as an accomplice in his wife’s dealings, they have stated that they do not intend to file a complaint against the Prime Minister, as he is subject to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, where all government members are protected. The organization plans to transform their complaint into a lawsuit in the coming days, allowing them to be part of the legal proceedings, but they do not plan to sue Sánchez. The organization has defended their actions as fulfilling their duty in the face of alleged neglect by the public prosecutor to uphold the law.
The controversy surrounding Gómez’s business dealings and the implications for Sánchez come at a crucial time, as the Prime Minister faced a possible resignation following the initial complaint against his wife. The expanded complaints by Manos Limpias seek to provide further evidence of wrongdoing and challenge criticisms of their methods. The organization asserts that the aid given to Globalia was improper due to their tax debt and aims to hold accountable those involved in allegedly facilitating these transactions. The legal proceedings and accusations against Sánchez add another layer of complexity to the situation and highlight the ongoing tensions within the political sphere in Spain.
