Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, will stand trial on charges of influence peddling and misappropriation of public funds, a Madrid court has ruled, while lifting a travel ban that had prevented her from leaving Spain.
According to the court decision, Gómez will face a jury trial following a two-year investigation. Prosecutors dropped a separate corruption charge, and no trial date has yet been announced.
The investigation, launched in April 2024, sought to determine whether Gómez used her position as the prime minister's wife to obtain personal benefits. She and Sánchez have consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The case prompted Sánchez to suspend his official duties for several days in 2024 while considering whether to remain in office.
The ruling comes days after a Spanish court barred Sánchez's brother, David Sánchez, from holding public office for nine years over an administrative offence linked to his 2017 appointment to a senior cultural post by the regional government of Badajoz.
The latest developments add to mounting political pressure on the Socialist prime minister, whose government and close associates have faced a series of corruption-related investigations over the past two years. Sánchez has rejected the allegations, describing them as part of a politically motivated campaign led by the far right.
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