Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, appeared in court for the second time on Friday for a hearing, but refused to testify on charges of corruption and influence peddling in a case in which her husband considered resigning in April, according to Reuters.
Friday's court hearing in Madrid was part of a preliminary investigation into whether Gomez took advantage of her status as the prime minister's wife to recruit sponsors for a university master's course she organized.
"In our opinion /.../ the accusations are completely baseless," her lawyer and former Interior Minister Antonio Camacho told reporters after Gomez left the courthouse.
"My client refuses to testify, not because she is hiding anything, but because her lawyer advised her to do so," he added.
Gomez was allowed to enter and exit the courthouse through the underground parking lot to avoid meeting the dozens of journalists who were waiting for her outside.
She has not commented publicly on the trial, but Sanchez has actively denied the allegations against his wife, saying they are baseless and fabricated by his right-wing political opponents.
At the end of April, Sanchez took a five-day break from his official duties, during which he considered whether to resign after the court opened an investigation against his wife, but ultimately decided not to resign, Reuters recalled.
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The case was brought based on a unique Spanish legal practice, the "popular accusation," which allows private individuals to file criminal complaints against third parties. Judges can decide whether to take action, and not every allegation leads to a judicial investigation.
The complaint against Gomez was filed by the organization “Clean Hands” (Manos Limpias) - an anti-corruption activist group led by Miguel Bernad, a lawyer and politician who is running for a far-right party in the European elections.
Another far-right party, “Vox”, also joined the plaintiff, and its lawyer, MEP Jorge Buxade, told reporters he would ask the investigating magistrate to subpoena Sanchez to testify.
The investigation aims to assess Gómez's activities after Sánchez became prime minister in 2018, the court said. However, the trial casts a shadow over the image of the 52-year-old politician, who relies on a fragile majority in parliament.
Gómez's contracts involving funds from the European Union will be investigated separately by the European Public Prosecutor's Office.
Ahead of the first court hearing in the investigation against his wife at the beginning of this month, Sanchez again published an open letter to the Spaniards, but this time he did not hint that he might resign, recalls the “Financial Times”.
Accusing his political opponents of waging a smear campaign, Sanchez then wrote: “These are all lies. A big scam. Another /.../ You can be sure I won't be broken“.
In an evil irony, however, Sánchez's political future became hostage to his wife's financial affairs. Sánchez and his family could become another victim of the Spanish yellow press, as once happened to his illustrious predecessor, the socialist Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero, who ruled Spain between 2008 and 2011, and this will seriously damage his image.