The other case that is haunting Pedro Sánchez: Is there any basis for the investigation into Begoña Gómez?

MadridJuan Carlos Peinado has become one of the most high-profile and controversial judges in this legislative session. His determination to investigate Begoña Gómez, Pedro Sánchez's wife, for influence peddling, business corruption, practicing law without a license, misappropriation, and embezzlement of public funds has put him in the crosshairs of the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) and the Moncloa Palace (the Prime Minister's residence). Other parties within the plurinational majority, such as Sumar and ERC (Republican Left of Catalonia), have also criticized him, attributing his actions to political motivations. On what basis does the Madrid investigating judge base one of the cases that are plaguing the Spanish president?

The advisor's emails

Peinado's latest move, that same week, relates to the embezzlement case. The judge believes that the hiring of Gómez's advisor at Moncloa Palace, Cristina Álvarez, constitutes the misappropriation of public funds because she performed tasks related to the private business dealings of the Spanish president's wife. What is this hypothesis based on? Peinado draws it from emails the advisor sent to companies that collaborated with the Chair of Social Transformation, which Sánchez's wife co-directed at the Complutense University of Madrid. Gomez's defense maintains This position of advisor, "fully at one's disposal," implies that duties are performed that have a personal "favor" aspect. The example of the former advisor to Mariano Rajoy's wife, who accompanied her shopping, has been frequently cited.

"It cannot be asserted that 'since that person stole a chicken, I can steal three or five,'" argues Peinado in a ruling made public on Wednesday, in which he refutes the claim that the lack of clarity in defining the functions of this role until now does not excuse Álva's actions. The defense for the president's wife sees Peinado's analysis as an "extraordinarily broad and unrealistic" interpretation of embezzlement, to which the judge responded by using the controversial interpretation of that crime made in the Trial Court ruling to justify that this "disloyal" use of public resources fits the criminal definition. To support this theory, the judge has asked the Civil Guard to also analyze all of Gómez's emails between 2018 and 2025, as well as the call logs of the advisor with the companies sponsoring the chair.

The Complutense Chair

The Public Prosecutor's Office opposes this interpretation and does not see sufficient grounds for embezzlement. According to the Public Prosecutor, nothing is "suspicious" about the amounts Gómez earned for his work at Complutense University, some 34,000 euros between 2012 and 2022, of which 9,131 euros predate Sánchez's rise to power. In a document from three weeks ago, the Madrid Prosecutor's Office emphasized the need to consider the "magnitudes" when discussing "private business dealings." Regarding influence peddling and corruption in business, the basis of this investigation lies in the awarding of public contracts to Gómez's partner in the university chair, businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés, who is also under investigation by Prosecutor Peinado and to whom Sánchez's wife wrote letters of recommendation. Some of these contracts are also under scrutiny by the European Public Prosecutor's Office.

"Every week he pursues something different," complained the PSOE when, a month ago, Judge Peinado decided to extend the investigation for another six months. The Madrid Provincial Court, despite having narrowed the scope of the case—prohibiting any investigation into the Air Europa bailout—and having rejected the judge's attempt to separate it into two trials, allowed him to continue jointly investigating embezzlement and influence peddling, which this higher court sees as "intertwined."

Attempts to aim higher

One of the arguments for attributing a political basis to the case is that Peinado has tried to extend the shadow of suspicion over other officials at Moncloa. That he summon Sánchez as a witness The influence-peddling case ended with the president filing a complaint for malfeasance. The judge unsuccessfully requested that the Supreme Court investigate the Minister of Justice, Félix Bolaños, for alleged embezzlement, given that he was Secretary General of the Presidency when Álvarez was hired at Moncloa Palace. Peinado has charged two of his successors: Francisco Martín, currently the Spanish government's delegate in Madrid, and Judit Alexandra González, who currently holds the position and is scheduled to testify next Wednesday.