The judge of Court of Instruction number 41 of Madrid, Juan Carlos Peinado, has summoned Begoña Gómez, the wife of the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, to testify as a suspect on July 5th. She is being investigated for alleged crimes of corruption in the private sector and influence peddling. In an unusual move, the judge has postponed the testimony of several witnesses scheduled for Thursday to Sunday, June 16th. The Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Madrid (TSJM) explained that Judge Peinado is on duty that day, hence the decision to hold the witness testimonies on a Sunday. The exact timing will depend on service availability, but they will start from 12:00 pm.
The judge’s decision to investigate the Prime Minister’s wife comes at a critical time, just days before the European elections. Gómez is being investigated for allegedly trying to influence the granting of public funding to a businessman with whom she had collaborated professionally. Legal sources had suggested that the judge might delay the decision to summon Gómez until after hearing from several witnesses already scheduled to testify. However, the judge opted to call Gómez as a suspect before these testimonies took place. Additionally, the first round of witness testimonies, scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed. This delay was requested by Gómez’s lawyer, former socialist minister Antonio Camacho, who had a prior commitment to defend an actor in a separate case at the Audiencia Nacional.
The postponed testimonies involve four employees and officials of Red.es, an organization under the Ministry for Digital Transformation, which provided public funding to a consortium linked to businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés. Barrabés had previously participated in a master’s program directed by Gómez. The witnesses scheduled for June 16th include David Cierco, former director general of Red.es; his replacement Albert Martínez Lacambra; as well as Luis Prieto and Ignacio Espejo-Saavedra, both from the Digital Economy and Legal Advisory departments of Red.es. Prior to these testimonies, the judge plans to question businessman Barrabés on Friday, pending a medical report due to health issues he has claimed.
Last week, the Provincial Court endorsed Judge Peinado’s investigation following a complaint from the organization Manos Limpias, but advised him to focus solely on the 10 million euros in funding received by Barrabés’ consortium. The court dismissed the other allegations made in the complaint as “implausible” or based on incorrect information. Regarding Gómez’s alleged influence in the rescue of the company Globalia, the court considered it a mere speculation. However, the court found sufficient evidence to justify investigating the contracts awarded to Barrabés, particularly a recommendation letter signed by the Prime Minister’s wife among others. Despite this, a report from the Guardia Civil did not find evidence to suggest that these letters influenced the contracts awarded to Barrabés.
In summary, the investigation into Begoña Gómez, the wife of the Spanish Prime Minister, for alleged corruption and influence peddling has taken an unexpected turn with the judge’s decision to summon her as a suspect. The timing of these developments, just before the European elections, has added a political dimension to the case. The postponed witness testimonies and the focus on public funding awarded to a consortium linked to a businessman connected to Gómez have raised questions about the fairness and impartiality of the judicial process. The court’s decision to investigate specific allegations while dismissing others as unfounded highlights the complexity of the case and the need for a thorough and objective assessment of the evidence. It remains to be seen how these developments will impact the ongoing investigation and any future legal proceedings involving Gómez and other individuals implicated in the case.
