Sánchez's brother, sentenced to 9 years of disqualification without prison
The court considers that the job of David Sánchez, who faced six years in prison, was a "tailor-made suit" for him
MadridThe Badajoz Court has sentenced David Sánchez, the brother of the Spanish president, to nine years of disqualification as a necessary cooperator in a crime of administrative prevarication. On the other hand, he avoids prison and is acquitted of the crime of influence peddling. The popular prosecutions, made up of – among others – Manos Limpias, Hazte Oír, the PP and Vox, requested six years in prison for him. The conviction is not for the creation of the job he obtained at the Badajoz Provincial Council in 2017, but for the change in the naming of the position with the aim of creating, in reality, a high-level management position with “radically different” functions. Likewise, the Badajoz Court has sentenced Miguel Ángel Gallardo, president of the Provincial Council at the time of the events and leader of the PSOE of Extremadura from 2024 to 2025, to eighteen years of disqualification. The remaining nine defendants have been sentenced to nine years of disqualification.
"A tailor-made suit"
The first thing in question was the creation of the position of activities coordinator for the conservatories. David Sánchez "had prior knowledge" that "it had been created for him", participated in a "rigged" selection process and had the interview to "simulate the formal legality" of the procedure. The sentence concludes that he was able to dedicate himself to activities that "he saw fit, without any control" and that he "neglected his obligations and commitments" by not working much, although it acknowledges that absenteeism is not a crime. For these facts, Miguel Ángel Gallardo and three officials from the Diputació have been convicted. David Sánchez was initially accused of accepting an illegal appointment – he faced a fine of 32,400 euros – but the court declared it prescribed at the start of the trial. The Prosecutor's Office requested acquittal for all the accused and they denied preferential treatmentThe second suspicion was the change of name of the position to become head of the Office of Performing Arts. However, it "really masked" the creation of a "different" job with the aim of adapting the obligations to his "personal tastes and concerns". Finally, an "unnecessary and functionless" position of coordinator of cross-border centers and activities programs was created to be awarded to Luis Carrero, a friend of David Sánchez and who was an advisor at Moncloa. The sentence is not yet final and can be appealed to the Superior Court of Justice of Extremadura.
No influence peddling
The court has reached the "conviction" that the prevarication obeyed the "design to favor" David Sánchez for "spurious reasons", but expresses "doubts" about the "pressure" or "influences" exerted to achieve it: "We do not know who exerted pressure or influence over those responsible for the task of perverting the Law, nor in what concrete acts the influx materialized", admit the four judges. And they point to the "hypothesis" that they wanted to "curry favor" with Pedro Sánchez after having supported the candidacy of Susana Díaz.
"A person bound by family ties"
The sentence, 377 pages long, makes five mentions of Pedro Sánchez. It alleges, for example, that what is "determinant" is the creation of high-level positions "conceived in the exclusive interest" of a "close person" or "linked by family ties" to "who would hold the presidency of the Spanish government and was a political figure of the first order". The hiring was for functions that were not "necessary or urgent", that had previously been carried out by a person with "inferior administrative category" and after a process "violating the elementary principles of contracting".
Nepotism
The sentence also regrets that "nepotism" – a practice "consisting of preferential treatment" towards relatives or friends – "harms democratic health", "fosters corruption and inequality of opportunities" and affects public administrations, because "people lacking the necessary preparation" access them. However, the court adds a nuance: "Not all lack of probity, ethically reprehensible, inherent to the scourge of nepotism, constitutes a crime".
The witnesses
The ruling has taken little account of the statements of most of the witnesses during the trial, which was left for sentencing on June 9. He argues that high-ranking officials from the Badajoz Provincial Council declared that they were "promoted" during the investigation and form part of a "highly hierarchical and politically tinged" structure. For this reason, the judges question the "credibility" of people "directly related" to the accused, "dependent" on them, or "members of the same party". On the other hand, he places great value on emails that the Civil Guard found and underline that the declaration of the Colonel Antonio Balas – that was in Leire Díez's crosshairs– was "highly illustrative".