Spain, Aug 20: A Madrid court has again summoned Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s wife in a corruption investigation, a court spokesman said Tuesday, giving new momentum to the probe that has rattled the country’s government.
Begona Gomez was ordered to appear in court for questioning on September 11 in connection with the alleged embezzlement of public funds, the spokesman said, without providing further details.
Spanish media reports said the latest development centers on whether an official employed in the premier’s office carried out work for Gomez during her past academic job at Madrid’s Complutense University.
The work could be considered a diversion of public resources — the employee’s time and salary — for Gomez’s private purposes.
Gomez has been under investigation since April 2024 for alleged corruption and influence peddling related to her time at the university.
The probe was opened following complaints from two groups with far-right ties.
Gomez denied wrongdoing during a court hearing in December 2024, saying she “has nothing to hide.”
That was her first court testimony in the case, after invoking her right to remain silent at an earlier appearance in July 2024.
Sanchez has dismissed the allegations against his wife as an attempt by the right to undermine his minority leftist government.
The investigation is one of several involving alleged corruption among Sanchez’s inner circle, prompting opposition calls for his resignation.
The prime minister’s former right-hand man, Santos Cerdan, was detained in June in a probe into kickbacks for public contracts.
His younger brother, David Sanchez, has been under investigation since 2024 for alleged embezzlement, influence peddling, and tax fraud.
© Agence France-Presse
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