Madrid, July 22 (EFE).- Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been summoned by a court to testify in a case in which his wife, Begoña Gomez, has been accused of influence peddling and possible corruption in business.
Sanchez will testify on Jul.30 at the Moncloa Palace, the official residence and workplace of the head of the Spanish Government, before the judicial authorities, according to the Madrid High Court on Monday.
The testimony will be taken before judge Juan Carlos Peinado, who accepted the petition of the prosecution, led by the far-right Vox party, requesting Sanchez to testify.
Peinado decided to summon Sanchez as a witness in a ruling issued on Friday, the same day that his wife appeared before the judge but refused to testify.
Gomez used her right to not testify citing insufficient guarantees in the judicial proceedings, as explained by her lawyer, Antonio Camacho, outside the Madrid court after the hearing.
This led the prosecution to request that the prime minister’s testimony be taken to shed light on what transpired in the meetings held in Moncloa involving Gomez and businessmen such as Juan Carlos Barrabes, co-accused in the same case.
The case, which was brought by Manos Limpias (‘Clean Hands’) – a self-styled trade union with ties to Spain’s far-right – is investigating whether Gomez used her position as the prime minister’s wife in relation to her dealings with Barrabes, a professor on a master’s degree course that she directed.
The hardline Catholic association Hazte Oir (‘Make Yourself Heard’) had also asked judicial authorities to investigate whether Gómez abused her position to “establish commercial and professional relationships with various companies and entities” or if she used her influence in “the granting of subsidies and public aid”.
The allegations, which were first made in April, led to Sánchez dramatically suspending his public duties for five days while he considered whether or not to resign due to the “scandalous” and “spurious” claims and the “smear campaign” against his wife, who has denied any wrongdoing. EFE
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