Eleven current and former officials from the Diputación de Badajoz, including Spain’s Prime Minister’s brother, David Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, and former provincial president Miguel Ángel Gallardo, were convicted of administrative prevarication and sentenced to disqualification from public employment or office. The penalties reportedly range from nine to eighteen years, depending on each defendant’s role. Some of those convicted are career civil servants. The Audiencia Provincial de Badajoz issued the ruling on 14 July 2026. It is not final and remains subject to appeal.
The court found that the public post ultimately occupied by David Sánchez was created with him as its intended occupant and lacked genuine institutional necessity or substantive content. Information from the reported chronology in the judgment, political and technical officials met in Valdivia on 10-11 October 2016 and discussed the role with the aim that Sánchez would fill it. The Diputación created the post in 2017. Its functions were described at different stages as including coordination of two conservatories and leadership of the Oficina de Artes Escénicas. David Sánchez was convicted as a necessary accomplice in the administrative-prevarication offence and received nine years of special disqualification.
The disqualification is not a prison sentence. If upheld and enforceable, it would bar David Sánchez for nine years from public employment or office and from standing for election. The restriction would not prevent him from taking private-sector employment. He later resigned from his Diputación position, but that does not determine the scope of the sentence if it becomes final. The court dismissed the separate influence-peddling allegations and did not establish that Pedro Sánchez or his brother exerted concrete pressure on officials.
The convicted parties have appealed. The Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Extremadura is expected to review the case, and a further appeal to the Tribunal Supremo may be possible afterward. The Fiscalía has also sought David Sánchez’s acquittal, arguing that the evidence is insufficient to sustain the conviction. His defence denies that a crime was committed and contends that disqualification would be disproportionate. The court rejected private prosecutors’ requests for prison sentences. José Manuel Bueno, the lawyer for Manos Limpias, welcomed the verdict as confirmation of a “corruption scheme” and said the organisation would continue efforts to recover public money allegedly paid to David Sánchez.
The Diputación de Badajoz responded to the verdict by reiterating its respect for the judicial process and affirming its ongoing cooperation with the courts. In a public statement, the institution reaffirmed its commitment to the rule of law and said it had fully collaborated throughout the investigation.
The political repercussions have been immediate. The Junta de Extremadura called on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call elections, arguing that the verdict leaves him surrounded by convicted individuals in both his political and family circles. Abel Bautista, the region’s vice president, criticized previous attempts by socialist leaders to question the judiciary’s motives. He said the ruling strengthens public trust in the justice system, despite what he described as pressure during the investigation. Pedro Sánchez defended his brother publicly, saying: “He is being convicted for being the brother of the president of the government.”
Political parties across Extremadura have weighed in. The regional PSOE secretary, Álvaro Sánchez Cotrina, expressed respect for the court’s decision and announced that the party would apply its internal statutes to those affected. He acknowledged the personal impact on colleagues and expressed hope that appeals might overturn the convictions. The Partido Popular’s parliamentary spokesperson, José Ángel Sánchez, argued that the ruling confirms the provincial institution was misused for personal benefit and demanded an apology from the PSOE. Vox lamented the renewed focus on Extremadura because of corruption. Unidas por Extremadura supported the disqualification sentences as a proportionate response to entrenched clientelism in the region.
The case has drawn national attention because of the Prime Minister’s family connection and the scale of the disqualification penalties. Its legal and practical consequences will depend on the appeals: until the ruling becomes final, the convictions and sanctions remain subject to review. If upheld, the restrictions would affect the defendants’ ability to hold public office or work in public administration, with consequences for their political careers and public-sector employment. The appellate decisions will also shape how the case is understood in future proceedings involving alleged favoritism or irregular hiring in public institutions.
