Spanish court orders trial for PM's wife Begoña Gómez on influence peddling and embezzlement charges, lifts travel ban

Court confirms trial for PM's wife

The Audiencia Provincial de Madrid ruled on 16 July 2026 that Begoña Gómez, wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, must stand trial for influence peddling and embezzlement of public funds. The five-judge panel dismissed two other charges, business corruption and misappropriation, that had been included in the initial investigation led by judge Juan Carlos Peinado. The court also lifted all precautionary measures, returning her passport and ending the requirement to report to authorities every 15 days.

The investigated party achieved the influence deployed from her privileged position as wife of the prime minister.

The case centres on a university chair at the Complutense University of Madrid that Gómez co-directed, and the alleged use of public resources and personal contacts to advance private interests. The court found sufficient indications that she leveraged her status to obtain the academic post.

Charges and evidence

The panel concluded that there are plausible grounds to try Gómez for influence peddling, citing her ability to sway decisions due to her relationship with the head of government. The embezzlement charge relates to the alleged misuse of a public software platform and the involvement of her Moncloa assistant, Cristina Álvarez, in private matters. Álvarez will be tried only for embezzlement, while businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés, also implicated, will not face a jury trial for these specific charges.

There is no sufficiently credible evidence that she received gifts in the framework of the activity developed by the chair.

The court thus dropped the business corruption charge, noting the lack of proof of direct financial gain.

Travel restrictions lifted

The judges also overturned the precautionary measures imposed by the investigating magistrate, calling them excessively restrictive. They stated that there was no concrete data supporting a real risk of flight, allowing Gómez to recover her passport and eliminating the bi-monthly check-ins.

The measures do not appear supported by concrete data of a real probability of flight.

Jury trial ahead

As requested by judge Peinado, the trial will be heard by a popular jury, nine citizens plus two alternates, selected from residents of the Madrid region. The selection process is expected to begin in 2027. Legal experts quoted in Spanish media noted the difficulty of finding impartial jurors given the intense politicisation of the case.

Political fallout

The ruling adds to a cascade of judicial troubles for Sánchez's minority government. Just two days earlier, his brother was sentenced to nine years of disqualification from public office for receiving favourable treatment in a job appointment. Key allies Santos Cerdán and José Luis Ábalos face separate corruption trials, and former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was recently indicted for influence peddling.

The Socialist Party (PSOE) called the decision "aberrant and predictable," while the opposition People's Party (PP) highlighted that Sánchez is the first sitting prime minister whose spouse will stand trial for corruption. Government minister Óscar Puente criticised the ruling, though Justice Minister Félix Bolaños had previously described the same magistrates as "competent, impartial, independent, and professional."

What comes next

If convicted, Gómez faces prison sentences of two to six years for embezzlement, up to eight if the damage exceeded €50,000, plus disqualification from public office. The influence peddling charge carries additional prison time and disqualification. The trial date remains unset, but jury selection is slated for 2027.