In Madrid, the defense of Begoña Gómez has submitted a new expert report to the court which, according to their statement, proves that there was no financial loss for the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) during the operation of the department she oversaw. According to the document, prepared by Professor of Financial and Tax Law Jesús Rodríguez Márquez, the project resulted in a surplus of 12,856 euros. This is the third report the defense has presented in recent weeks to refute allegations of corruption and abuse of office.
Expert opinion and defense arguments
The new report states that the funds received by the ‘Transformación Social y Competitiva’ (TSC) department were controlled by the university and were earmarked—provided by private companies for specific purposes. According to the expert, spending these funds could not have resulted in losses for the university, as the money came from external sources and was used strictly as intended. Gómez’s defense emphasizes that not only was there no damage, but the university actually saw a positive financial outcome.
Case context and prosecution’s stance
The case against Begoña Gómez is connected to suspicions of corruption, influence peddling, as well as possible embezzlement and misappropriation of funds. The court previously decided to refer the case for trial, despite the defense having already presented two other expert reports. These reports claimed that the practice of creating such academic chairs is widespread in Spanish public universities, and the involvement of spouses or advisors of high-ranking officials in private initiatives is not uncommon. According to EL PAÍS, the new report is expected to strengthen the defense’s position and cast doubt on the main accusations.
Reaction and parallels with other cases
Attention to the Begoña Gómez case remains high amid other high-profile proceedings involving public figures and issues of ethics in government institutions. For example, the European Parliament recently lifted the immunity of MP Alvise Pérez, allowing him to be held accountable in a case concerning harassment of a prosecutor from Valencia — more details on this can be found in the article on the European Parliament’s decision regarding the Alvise Pérez case. Such cases highlight how acute the issue of transparency and accountability in the public sector is in Spain.
What is known about the TSC chair
The ‘Transformación Social y Competitiva’ department was established to implement projects in the field of social innovation and competitiveness enhancement. Funding was provided by private partners, and the funds were managed through the university’s accounts. According to the defense, all expenses were documented and aligned with the project’s objectives. The report emphasizes that such a model of collaboration between universities and businesses is not uncommon in Spain.
