Spanish PM Sanchez's Wife Attends Corruption Case Trial At Madrid Court

JAKARTA - Begona Gomez, wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, was present at the trial on suspicion of corruption at a Madrid court.

The trial on Friday, July 5, was part of an initial investigation into whether Gomez used his position as prime minister's wife to influence his business affairs.

Reported by Reuters, neither Gomez nor his lawyers spoke to journalists gathered outside the court ahead of a closed trial before the judge, who ordered a postponement of the trial minutes after it began. The trial will be held again on July 19.

Gomez has not publicly commented on the case, but Sanchez has repeatedly denied the allegations against his wife. He said the allegations were baseless and regulated by far-right political opponents.

The complaint against Gomez was filed by Manos Limpias, an anti-corruption activist group led by Miguel Bernad, a lawyer and politician running for a candidate for the far-right party in the European elections.

Manos Limpias accused Gomez of using her influence to get sponsorship for the master's degree program at the university she runs.

An ongoing investigation is seeking to evaluate Gomez's behavior since Sanchez became prime minister in 2018, the court said.

The contracts related to European Union funds will be separately examined by European prosecutors.