The Provincial Court of Badajoz sentenced David Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, the brother of Spain’s Prime Minister, on 14 July 2026 to nine years of special disqualification from public employment or office and from standing for elected office. The conviction concerns his role as a necessary accomplice in an administrative-prevarication offense linked to his 2017 appointment by the Diputación de Badajoz. Former provincial president Miguel Ángel Gallardo and other officials were also convicted in the hiring case.
The court found that the Coordinator of Conservatory Activities post had no demonstrated public need and served a particular interest rather than the administration’s general interest. The judgment described the position as lacking “real need and content” and said it responded to “a particular interest rather than the general interest.” Sánchez said he learned of the vacancy online and applied through the established procedure. Prosecutors and other accusers argued that the role may have been designed for him; the defenses rejected that allegation.
Gallardo, who led the Diputación when the appointments were made, received two nine-year disqualification penalties, 18 years in total, for two administrative-prevarication offenses. One concerned conduct linked to Sánchez’s appointment; the other involved a position connected with Luis María Carrero. Gallardo has denied taking part in an operation to favor Sánchez and has appealed his conviction to the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Extremadura.
Carrero, described as a friend and collaborator of Sánchez, received a nine-year disqualification over a newly created position linked to their previous operatic work together. The ruling also penalized eight other officials and employees involved in the hiring process. These were disqualification sentences for administrative prevarication, not prison terms.
The ruling addressed the creation of the conservatory-activities coordinator role and later changes to its conditions, including the removal of incompatibility clauses. It also covered the creation of a new position for Carrero. Internal communications reportedly referred to Sánchez as the “hermanísimo,” a colloquial term meaning “big brother,” reflecting perceptions of favoritism within the institution.
Several private prosecutors, including PP, Vox, Hazte Oír, Iustitia Europa, Liberum and Abogados Cristianos, had sought prison sentences of up to six years for Sánchez. The court dismissed the influence-peddling charge, finding insufficient evidence of direct pressure or influence on those responsible for the appointments. Reports on the judgment also note that the judges did not find it proven that Sánchez used influence derived from being the Prime Minister’s brother. The conviction instead concerns the creation and handling of public posts and the defendants’ roles in the administrative process.
Investigating magistrate Beatriz Biedma initially handled the proceedings. Before the case reached the Provincial Court, the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Extremadura declined to take it over after Gallardo sought the status of an elected official with special jurisdiction. The higher court found the maneuver fraudulent in form and purpose, then returned the case to the investigating judge.
The Provincial Court later clarified that, once the sentence takes effect, Sánchez’s disqualification will bar him from holding the Diputación position or obtaining the same or another position in any public administration during the nine-year period. He had already relinquished the post. The judgment is not final, and the appeals process could leave the convictions in place or change them, including by overturning them.
The ruling warned that favoritism toward relatives or friends undermines the principles of equality, merit and capability that govern public employment. It stressed that the general interest must take precedence over individual benefit when public-sector roles are created. The judgment was signed by magistrates José Antonio Patrocinio, Emilio Serrano and María Dolores Fernández.
The case has intensified scrutiny of public-sector appointments and political favoritism in Spain. Discussion of the intersection of legal reforms and political dynamics has also featured in an analysis of regional legal pressures and court workloads.
In Spanish law, administrative prevarication concerns the unlawful exercise of public authority in administrative decisions. The Sánchez case centers on whether public positions were created and handled in line with the administration’s duties and the general interest. Its outcome may shape future scrutiny of public hiring practices and calls for greater transparency and accountability.
