Spanish PM’s wife files lawsuit against judge probing graft

The Spanish prime minister’s wife Begona Gomez launched a lawsuit Friday against the judge investigating her for alleged corruption and influence peddling, according to a document seen by AFP.

Gomez is alleged to have used her husband’s position as leverage within her professional circles to influence contracts or set up a masters program at a Madrid university where she works.

By filing a lawsuit, Gomez followed in the footsteps of her husband and socialist premier Pedro Sanchez who on Wednesday said he launched a lawsuit claiming abuse of office by Judge Juan Carlos Peinado.

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A lawsuit was filed by Gomez’s defence in Madrid claiming that Peinado had “adopted arbitrary and manifestly unfair judicial decisions” against her as part of an “unusual and erratic” investigation, according to the document seen by AFP.

The prime minister’s wife also accuses the judge of having broken the secrecy of the investigation — since it had not yet been made public — after the Madrid courts sent out press releases on the case and certain media published material from the file.

Gomez is being investigated for alleged influence-peddling and corruption following a complaint filed by anti-graft NGO “Manos Limpias” — Spanish for “Clean Hands” — which has links to the far right.

On Tuesday, Sanchez used his legal right not to testify against his wife when questioned by Peinado.

Shortly after the hearing, Spain’s state legal services filed a lawsuit in Sanchez’s name and said the premier’s request to testify in writing, as allowed under Spanish law for top government officials, had been unjustifiably rejected.

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“The dignity of the institution of the office of the prime minister is being defended,” Sanchez told a news conference when asked why the lawsuit was filed.

The “rights” of the office “have been violated, nothing more and nothing less, by the judge,” he added.

Sanchez has denied any wrongdoing by his wife and has repeatedly argued the allegations are part of a right-wing smear campaign against his left-wing government.

The case has put pressure on Sanchez’s minority coalition government, with the main opposition Popular Party (PP) calling on Sanchez to resign.

The only time a sitting Spanish prime minister has testified in a judicial case was in 2017 when Mariano Rajoy was summoned in a graft case that led to the conviction of several members of his party, the PP.

© Agence France-Presse