The Spanish government is no longer holding back on the Begoña Gómez case: "There are judicial cases that seek to violate political action"

Madrid / BarcelonaThe Spanish government usually acts with caution when it needs to comment on the judiciary, but there are two exceptions: the case of the State Attorney General, Álvaro García Ortiz, in which they defended his innocence until the end; and the case of the Spanish President's wife, Begoña Gómez, who yesterday Judge Juan Carlos Peinado brought to the brink of trial. This Tuesday, up to three ministers have closed ranks with Pedro Sánchez's partner and have even hinted at political persecution. Meanwhile, the head of the executive, from his official trip to China, has expressed confidence that "time will put everything and everyone in their place".

They went further from the Moncloa Palace, in the press conference following the council of ministers presided over by the Vice President and Minister of Economy, Carlos Cuerpo. The spokesperson for the Spanish executive, Elma Saiz, reaffirmed her commitment to defending the Spanish President's partner: "I believe in her innocence. Judge Peinado's ruling is unprecedented and goes beyond legal matters." Transport Minister Óscar Puente went even further: "There is a justice system that acts based on political color," he stated, implying that one must ask whether this "strengthens or not" democracy. "There are cases that aim to violate the political action of democratically elected representatives," the minister added.

They were not the only ones. The Minister of the Presidency and Justice, Félix Bolaños, reiterated his contrary opinion to Peinado's ruling. "I am exercising my freedom of expression, it is an opinion widely shared by Spanish society," he assured, and expressed conviction that the judge in the Gómez case will be corrected by higher authorities. "We are in a state of law and not in the regime of Ferdinand VII," he considered, alluding to Peinado's reference to the absolutist regime to compare it with the Spanish government. Furthermore, in his opinion, many judges think like him, recalling that he filed a complaint with the General Council of the Judiciary against Peinado last year, after he tried to indict him unsuccessfully, and he still has no response.

Judicial associations do not think the same. The two majority ones –the Professional Association of the Magistracy (APM) and the Francisco de Vitoria Judicial Association– have asked for "respect" and "institutional responsibility" from the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes. The APM, the main and conservative association, believes that Bolaños' "public disqualifications" are "inadmissible" and emphasizes that judges "do not need the executive power to attribute collective states of mind to them," but rather a "clear defense of judicial independence." And the Francisco de Vitoria regrets that the minister's words are a "direct attack" on judicial independence and the separation of powers that "increases distrust" and "aggravates division" and expresses its "deep concern" about the "discredit" that Bolaños' words represent for the judiciary.

The Popular Party has joined the criticism. In an address to the PP parliamentary groups in the Congress and the Senate, Alberto Núñez Feijóo has argued that it is "not normal" for the Spanish president's wife to be prosecuted "for serious corruption offenses" and for Sánchez "not to resign." "It is not admissible," stated the leader of the opposition, who stressed that "neither in Hungary [where the European PP candidate has just defeated Viktor Orbán] nor anywhere else in Europe" would this situation be "acceptable." "It is clear that Sánchez is most responsible for the deterioration that Spanish society is experiencing," concluded Feijóo, who has pledged to "free Europe and Spain from the Orbán of the south," referring to the socialist leader.

Sánchez, from China

The news caught the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, on a trip to China. The head of the executive has maintained a line of containment and has not wanted to comment on the criticisms that, from his own government, have been directed against the magistrate, despite the fact that in recent hours various voices from Moncloa have questioned both the content and the timing of the ruling. The judicial decision, which points to crimes such as influence peddling, business corruption, embezzlement, and misappropriation, comes while Gómez accompanies Sánchez on his official trip to China.

The Spanish government already expressed its indignation this Monday over the ruling and some of the judge's phrases, which Moncloa sources considered improper for democracy, institutions, and the separation of powers. PSOE sources have attributed political intent to the magistrate's decision. The socialists defend the innocence of Begoña Gómez and maintain that "the truth will eventually prevail," and the government says it trusts that higher judicial instances will end up reviewing the decision adopted by Peinado.