Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will testify today as a witness in the investigation of his wife, suspected of corruption and influence peddling, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
According to Spanish law, close relatives and spouses of suspects have the right to refuse to testify in court.
This is part of the initial investigation into whether Begoña Gómez used her position as the prime minister's wife to attract sponsors for the university's master's program she runs.
Sanchez has denied the allegations against her, saying they are baseless and fabricated by his far-right political opponents.
He will be accompanied by his lawyer, representatives of the prosecutor's office and a lawyer for the far-right Vox party, which uses a legal tool known as the "people's indictment" that allows private individuals to bring criminal charges against third parties.
A small group of protesters gathered outside Sanchez's residence, chanting slogans against him and the ruling Socialist Party.
This is the first time a sitting Spanish prime minister has been called to testify in a court case since his predecessor Mariano Rajoy was called as a witness in 2017 in a bribery case that led to the conviction of several members of his conservative People's Party and eventually to a vote of no confidence the following year, which allowed Sánchez to become prime minister.