The Madrid High Court (Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Madrid) has put an end to yet another attempt by the Partido Popular (PP) to reopen the investigation into the bailout of airline Air Europa. The judges dismissed the conservatives’ latest lawsuit, which sought to review the decision to close the case against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. At the heart of the dispute is the Prime Minister’s role in decisions to allocate financial aid to the airline at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The PP claimed that Sánchez should not have participated in the discussions and vote on support for Air Europa, alleging that his wife, Begoña Gómez, had connections to the company. However, the court found no evidence to support these allegations and concluded that the investigation had been thorough, with no new grounds to continue it.
Arguments from both sides
The conservatives argued that the investigation conducted by the Office of Conflict of Interest was insufficient. They referred to a previous court ruling that required the agency to collect more information about possible links between Begoña Gómez and Air Europa and to review financial relations between the Globalia group (the owner of the airline) and IE África Center, which was headed by the Prime Minister’s wife.
In response, the court noted that after the initial closure of the case, the agency did conduct an additional review. Documents were requested from various state registries, as well as from Globalia itself. After a renewed analysis, no new facts indicating a conflict of interest or personal gain for Sánchez and his family were found.
Air Europa’s Position
Amid the legal proceedings, Air Europa released an official statement strongly denying any payments or requests for mediation from Begoña Gómez. The company stressed that it did not seek assistance from the prime minister’s wife during the process of obtaining state aid and did not pay her any compensation.
This statement was issued in response to opposition accusations, which continue to question the transparency of the airline’s bailout process. Despite the lack of evidence, the Air Europa matter remains one of the opposition’s main talking points in public debates.
Court Decision
The administrative court panel emphasized that after the case was reconsidered, the conflict of interest agency complied with all court instructions. Additional documents were collected and analyzed, the necessary checks were carried out, and only then was the case closed again.
The judges noted that this time the investigation was thorough and found no grounds for further action. Partido Popular’s attempt to challenge this decision was unsuccessful: the court rejected the claim, confirming that no new circumstances requiring the case to be reopened were identified.
Opposition response
Despite yet another court rejection, Partido Popular continues to insist on the need for further scrutiny. Party representatives state they are dissatisfied with the outcome of the investigation and believe the conflict of interest agency did not fully perform its duties. However, the court did not support these arguments.
In March 2024, PP had already filed a similar complaint, alleging that the prime minister’s actions violated ethical norms. At that time, the conflict of interest agency also found no grounds for accusations, stating that government decisions had not affected the personal interests of Sánchez or his wife.
Case background
The controversy over support for Air Europa has become one of the most widely discussed political scandals in Spain in recent years. The opposition is using this case to put pressure on the government, accusing it of a lack of transparency and potential conflict of interest. However, no court has found evidence of wrongdoing by the prime minister or his associates.
As a result, despite numerous attempts by the opposition to seek a review of the case, the courts have consistently ruled that there are no grounds to continue the investigation. The decision of the Supreme Court of Madrid once again confirmed this position.
