Spain’s judicial watchdog said Monday it has opened disciplinary proceedings against the judge investigating Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s wife for graft, a case putting pressure on his minority government.
Judge Juan Carlos Peinado on Saturday ordered Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, to stand trial after a two-year investigation and banned her from leaving the country, deeming her a flight risk.
Peinado rejected the argument that officers assigned to Gómez’s security detail would prevent her from fleeing, saying they could help her escape, “either on their own initiative or following orders from their superiors”.
The comments prompted a rare public rebuke from Spain’s national police force, which in a statement called the judge’s reasoning “unjustified” and stressed its political neutrality.
Spain’s judicial watchdog, the CGPJ, said Monday Peinado’s statements could amount to a serious disciplinary offence.
Under Spanish judicial rules, such an offence can carry a fine of up to €6,000 ($6,900).
Peinado in April formally charged Gómez with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds.
He opened the investigation in 2024 to determine whether Gómez had exploited her position as the prime minister’s wife for private gain, which she and Sanchez deny.
The case centres on the creation and management of a chair at Madrid’s Complutense University that was co-directed by Gómez, as well as the alleged use of public resources and personal connections to advance private interests.
The case is one of several corruption affairs that have embroiled the Socialist leader’s family and former allies, threatening to topple his minority coalition government.
A court sentenced Sanchez’s former top aide José Luis Ábalos on Monday to 24 years in prison for corruption.
Justice Minister Félix Bolanos criticised the case against the prime minister’s wife on Monday, calling it “absolutely abnormal” and damaging to the reputation of Spain’s judicial system.
“This case should have been dismissed from day one, and it was not,” Bolaños told Cadena Ser radio, describing some of Peinado’s decisions as “incomprehensible”.
Peinado, who is due to retire in September, has summoned Gómez to court on Wednesday to surrender her passport — the same day Sanchez is due to address parliament on the various judicial investigations affecting his entourage.
