Peinado goes on vacation and leaves the decision about Begoña Gómez's trip in the hands of another judge

MadridJuan Carlos Peinado has shaken off the pressure and decided to go on vacation without resolving Begoña Gómez's request for permission to leave Spain. Pedro Sánchez's wife, whom the controversial judge withdrew her passport after sending her to trial, asked for permission to travel to Ankara (Turkey) to attend the NATO summit —which is being held from July 7 to 10— and to stop over in London on the way back to attend his daughter's graduation. His lawyer, Antonio Camacho, filed the request six days ago, but the judge has not yet ruled on the request and has left it in the hands of the duty judge, who “naturally” replaces him during the summer, according to legal sources confirmed to ARA. The decision will be made public “predictably” this Monday.

Begoña Gómez alleged that she was invited to the Atlantic Alliance summit by Emine Erdogan, the wife of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and argued that she would travel with the "Spanish delegation" on an "official plane". Her intention is to return on a "commercial flight" via the United Kingdom to accompany her daughter to her graduation, which will take place on Friday, July 10. "In any case, the entire trip will be made with the security team that accompanies the President of the Spanish Government on all his trips, which guarantees the absolute safety of all my client's movements," the document added.

Hazte Oír, which leads the popular accusations, opposes Begoña Gómez's two trips. In a written statement that ARA had access to, it argued that, given the “finding of a well-founded risk of flight,” the precautionary measure imposed on her can only be avoided in cases of “imperious and duly accredited necessity,” which they consider is not the case now. Regarding the trip to Turkey, the ultra-Catholic entity maintained that the figure of the first lady “does not exist” in the Spanish legal system and argued that Begoña Gómez has received a “private invitation to a parallel program” to participate in “activities of mere courtesy and strictly voluntary assistance.” Regarding the stop in London, it alleged that, following Brexit, the bilateral extradition procedure has “greater delays and conditions” than arrest warrants, which “weakens the guarantees of immediate recovery” for Sánchez's wife if she decided not to return voluntarily to Madrid.

The withdrawal of the Spanish president's wife's passport was accompanied by much controversy. The judge justified that the escort agents could help her flee: “At a certain moment they can, either on their own initiative or following orders from their hierarchical superiors, collaborate in the action or actions to facilitate this escape, making it impossible for the accused to be at the disposal of justice.” This insinuation put the police unions at loggerheads with Juan Carlos Peinado and led to the General Council of the Judiciary — divided — opening proceedings to reprimand him.

Feijóo believes it is “improper” for Begoña Gómez to travel to Turkey

The leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, considers it "improper" for Begoña Gómez to be "parading through international forums" and — without committing on precautionary measures — asks to "avoid at all costs" the "commentary" that other world leaders might make about her. In the same vein, the spokesperson for the popular party, Borja Sémper, argues that it is "reasonable" to say that the Spanish president's wife is not the "best representation" or the "best image" of Spain. For his part, the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, believes that Peinado has avoided speaking out because he is a "coward".