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Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been called to testify in a criminal investigation into corruption allegations against his wife in a move that dramatically raises the stakes in the case.
The judge’s decision, announced on Monday, means Sánchez is set to be questioned as a witness at his official residence on July 30 in a probe that he has described as part of a rightwing smear campaign against him.
The investigation into Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, has stoked rancour in Spanish politics that worsened last year when Sánchez returned to power as head of a fragile coalition after an inconclusive general election. The premier took five days off to consider his future when it was first launched in April.
The case centres on allegations of influence peddling and corruption against Gómez over her business dealings. Sánchez has denied any wrongdoing by his wife and no charges have been filed.
Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, of the High Court of Justice in Madrid, said: “It is considered convenient, useful and pertinent to take a statement from the husband of the investigated person” given the need to investigate Gómez’s “possible” relationship with the authorities.
Yolanda Díaz, a deputy prime minister in the Socialist-led government, said: “I am astonished at what is happening.” Sánchez’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Gómez was called to testify in court last Friday but exercised her right to decline to answer questions. She has not commented publicly on the case.
Borja Sémper, spokesperson for the conservative People’s party, the main opposition, said the problem with the prime minister was “ethical” and not just judicial. “Spaniards are ashamed of this permanent scandal,” he said.
The last time a sitting Spanish prime minister was summoned to testify in a judicial case was in 2017, when the PP’s Mariano Rajoy was called in a corruption case that led to convictions for several members of his party.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo, PP leader, recalled on Monday that Sánchez had urged Rajoy to resign at the time and said it was Sánchez who should now quit.
The Gómez investigation was triggered by a complaint from Manos Limpias or Clean Hands — a group with far-right links and a history of launching politically tinged legal cases.
Sánchez wrote a letter to the nation when a preliminary judicial case was opened, saying he was the target of a rightwing “harassment and destruction” operation that included his political foes and the media.
When Gómez was placed under formal investigation in June, he wrote another letter saying: “I will not be broken.”
In a radio interview this month, Sánchez said he wanted to “think that Peinado is not being biased in this case”.
He also said his wife had “filed several appeals, which have yet to be answered, asking the judge to clarify the reasons why she has been summoned to testify”.