The Provincial Court of Badajoz convicted David Sánchez on 14 July 2026 over his 2017 hiring by the Diputación de Badajoz, sentencing him to nine years of special disqualification from public employment or office and from standing for elected office. The court found him guilty as a necessary cooperator in an administrative prevarication offense. The ruling also convicted Miguel Ángel Gallardo, former PSOE Extremadura leader and former Diputación president, along with other officials involved in the appointment process. The judgment is not final and remains subject to appeal.
The disputed role was a coordinator position for conservatories. The court concluded it lacked genuine institutional necessity and substantive content, and that its creation served a private interest rather than the general interest. The case so centered on whether public administrative powers had been used to help a particular appointment, rather than on an ordinary recruitment process responding to an established public-service need.
Reports from the Unidad Central Operativa (UCO) of the Guardia Civil were basic to the verdict. The court described the testimony of the UCO’s anti-corruption chief, Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Balas, and his colleague as “especially relevant” and “highly illustrative.” The officers said the position resulted from a political decision originating in the Diputación’s presidency, implicating Gallardo. The judges accepted that account, finding it implausible that Gallardo was unaware the role was intended for Sánchez or had not participated directly in the process.
The court’s reasoning also drew on the chronology and documentary evidence presented by the UCO, including thousands of emails seized from Diputación staff accounts. One cited email was sent between conservatory directors on the day the job criteria were approved, with the subject line “hermanísimo,” a reference to the Prime Minister’s brother. The sender later described the message as a rumor; the court viewed it as evidence that the appointment was already anticipated within the institution. The judgment noted that, weeks before the formal selection, people at the Diputación and its conservatories were referring to the role as destined for David Sánchez.
By contrast, the judges questioned the credibility of around thirty witnesses, many of whom held senior positions within the Diputación. They said the testimony lacked spontaneity and reliability, noting that some witnesses were subordinate to defendants or had recently been promoted. Others had political or professional ties to Gallardo or people involved in the case. The court referred in particular to four witnesses who had advanced to higher positions. It also dismissed the relevance of four other witnesses, including a candidate for the post and current or former Diputación officials, citing their dependence on the accused. The judgment said the institution’s hierarchical, politically influenced environment affected how the testimony should be assessed.
Gallardo was convicted as the author of two administrative prevarication offenses and received two nine-year disqualifications, amounting to 18 years in total. Other Diputación officials were also sentenced, including Luis María Carrero, who received the same nine-year disqualification as Sánchez. The ruling so reaches beyond the appointment itself to the political and administrative actors involved in creating and managing the post.
The court imposed no prison sentence on Sánchez, although popular prosecutors had sought prison terms. The nine-year sanction bars public employment or office and standing for elected office if the conviction becomes enforceable; it does not prohibit private-sector employment. The period would not automatically restore Sánchez to his former Diputación position.
Sánchez’s defense has appealed to the High Court of Justice of Extremadura, alleging violations of the presumption of innocence and effective judicial protection, as well as of privacy, secrecy of communications and the right of defense. The prosecution has also sought his acquittal. As of 20 October 2026, the conviction remained a first-instance ruling and the case was unresolved. Further appeals may proceed to the Supreme Court and, where appropriate, a request for constitutional protection before the Constitutional Court.
The case has drawn national attention because of the family connection to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and its implications for public-sector hiring. For further background on the legal proceedings and the broader context of the case, see this detailed report on the court’s decision to bar David Sánchez from office: Badajoz court’s earlier ruling on Sánchez’s disqualification.
Under Spanish law, administrative prevarication concerns the knowingly unjust exercise of public authority in issuing an administrative decision. In this case, the court’s findings focused on the circumstances surrounding the creation and award of the conservatory coordinator post. The final legal and administrative consequences for Sánchez and the other people affected will depend on the outcome of the pending appeals.
