A Spanish court has ordered the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Begoña Gómez, to stand trial by jury for corruption and banned her from leaving the country, according to a court order released Saturday.

Judge Juan Carlos Peinado ordered Gomez to hand in her passport and to appear before the court twice a month until a verdict is reached in the case, the ruling said.

Peinado in April formally charged Gomez with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds.

The court has imposed these precautionary measures on Gómez and on Cristina Álvarez, an adviser at the Moncloa Palace. It said “instructions shall be issued to all border posts and civilian and military airports” to ensure Gómez complies with the ban on leaving the country.

The third defendant in the case, businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés, is not subject to these restrictions.

According to sources close to her, Begoña Gómez will appeal the precautionary measures. One of the measures she intends to challenge is the confiscation of her passport.

The ruling comes after a preliminary hearing held this week, at which the accusing parties requested that the defendants be tried by a jury and called for restrictions to prevent any potential flight risk.

Intense legal and political controversy

The Public Prosecutor’s Office and the defence teams, by contrast, asked for the case to be dismissed, arguing that there is insufficient evidence to support criminal charges.

The case centres on the creation and management of a chair at Madrid’s Complutense University that was co-directed by Gómez, as well as the alleged use of public resources and personal connections to advance private interests.

It was opened in April 2024 to determine whether Gómez had exploited her position as Sanchez’s wife for private gain, which she and the prime minister deny.

“The chair served as a means of private professional development for the person under investigation,” the judge wrote when he charged Gómez.

The proceedings have been marked by intense political and legal controversy. While the accusing parties maintain that there is enough evidence to take the case to trial, both the Prosecutor’s Office and Gómez’s defence have repeatedly challenged the investigation and alleged irregularities in the way it has been conducted.

The case originated from a complaint filed by an anti-corruption group with far-right ties, and Sánchez has dismissed the allegations against his wife as an attempt by the right wing to undermine his government.

It is one of several corruption affairs that have embroiled the Socialist leader’s family and former allies, threatening to topple his minority coalition government.

Sánchez has rejected opposition calls to step down and call early elections over the mounting corruption scandals.

Additional sources • AFP