Things got even more heated when a court put a stop to any plans for the prime minister’s wife to go abroad and made her answer for some corruption charges. The order, which came down on June 20, 2026, is ratcheting up the pressure on Sanchez and could well change what is on the table in Spain for the time being.
It was Judge Juan Carlos Peinado who told Gomez to hand over her passport and be in court two times a month as the case makes its way. He has instructed authorities to make sure the order is followed at every port of entry and airport. As for a trial, there is no date on the books yet, so the political side of things is left in limbo.
The court has been firm on where Gomez can and can’t be:
– Give up the passport
– Make an appearance in court twice a month
– A no-go on travelling, policed at all borders and airports
What the investigators are after
Prosecutors have their eyes on the part Gomez played in setting up an academic chair at the Complutense in Madrid, a post she co-ran. They want to see if she made use of being the PM’s wife to put some private interests first. In the judge’s view, the university position was a means to that end.
Back in April she was put on the spot with charges of embezzlement, influence peddling, and the like. Court papers say it was far-right elements that put the case forward. Both she and Sanchez put the claims aside and say they haven’t done anything wrong.
Why this is a problem for Sanchez
You can see the political implications right away. With a trial in the offing, he has to run the country with a case involving his spouse in the background. When the whole thing started in April 2024, he even took a short step back from public life to think about whether to stay on.
Sanchez will have you know the charges are driven by right-wing rivals looking to rattle his government. The Socialists put out a statement to that effect: ‘
[Begona]
has been hounded by the courts and politicians for two years now. This is just the latest in a line of it.’
A few other cases piling on
Then there are the parallel probes into some of the people in the PM’s orbit. We are still waiting on word in the matters of ex-transport chief Jose Luis Abalos and David Sanchez, the prime minister’s brother. Sanchez is not a name in those files and says the attempts to oust him are in full swing.
Over at the High Court, they are looking into former PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. The allegation is he ran a network that made out by lobbying for others, like the airline Plus Ultra. He says it’s not true. There is also a 2021 bailout for an airline tied to him; again, he denies it and has the support of Sanchez on the matter.
Some of his inner circle, like the third in command at the Socialist party and a former transport minister, are being looked at over possible kickbacks in everything from public works to mask buying during the pandemic. They deny it, of course. The opposition is using the string of investigations to call for Sanchez to pack up and for early elections.
Where do we go from here
Until a date is set, the law will have its way and the court will set the speed. In the meantime, Gomez is to check in and won’t be going anywhere. The rules are in place to be enforced without question at the border or in the terminal.
For Sanchez it is a matter of both law and votes. He is saying he is in for the long haul until 2027. But with the courts moving along and some related verdicts in the wings, it is only a matter of time before the government is put to the test.
