The Provincial Court of Madrid has narrowed the case against Begoña Gómez, wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, leaving proceedings active over alleged influence peddling and embezzlement of public funds. The appellate ruling partially overturned investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado’s earlier decision to send Gómez to a jury trial on a broader set of allegations, including business corruption and misappropriation. The court removed those two allegations from the jury case. The ruling does not establish criminal liability.
The court also revoked the precautionary measures imposed on Gómez, including the requirement to surrender her passport and the ban on leaving Spain. It also ended her obligation to appear periodically before judicial authorities. The appellate decision was issued on 13 July. The restrictions had been imposed during an investigation that began in April 2024 after a complaint by Manos Limpias.
Peinado’s earlier order had also named Cristina Álvarez, Gómez’s adviser at La Moncloa, and businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés in the broader jury proceedings. The appellate court removed Barrabés from the jury case, while leaving the legality of public-contract awards connected to him under examination. The ruling described that inquiry as concerning “the legality or illegality of the public contract awards.”
The prosecution began with a complaint by Manos Limpias and expanded to examine Gómez, Álvarez and Barrabés. The Madrid public prosecutor’s office has sought acquittal for Gómez and Álvarez, arguing that the facts attributed to them “do not constitute a criminal offense.” The popular prosecution, led by Hazte Oír, takes a different position and is seeking a cumulative 24-year prison term for Gómez. That figure is a requested penalty, not a sentence. No revised request following the appellate ruling has been reported.
The appeal has narrowed the potential jury case but has not set a trial date. At the latest reported procedural stage, the case file had not yet reached the Provincial Court of Madrid. The court had also not selected the judge who would preside over a jury. If the case proceeds to trial, it is expected to be heard by a nine-member popular jury.
The case has drawn national attention because Gómez is the prime minister’s wife and the allegations concern whether her relationship and access connected to Sánchez were used to advance professional or commercial interests. The Madrid proceedings form part of a wider debate over the intersection of political life and the courts in Spain. A related report on the political fallout from the Badajoz court ruling, the government’s defense of David Sánchez, highlights those broader tensions.
