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Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez declared “I will not be broken” as his wife was placed under formal investigation in a criminal corruption probe and called in for questioning by a judge.
Sánchez published a letter to Spaniards late on Tuesday that mirrored his decision to write to them six weeks ago when his wife was made the target of a preliminary probe — but this time he did not announce he was taking five days off to reflect on his future.
Blaming his political opponents for driving a smear campaign, Sánchez wrote: “All lies. A big hoax. Just another one . . . You can be assured that I will not be broken.”
The Spanish premier said he had learnt from media reports that his wife Begoña Gómez was being placed under formal investigation in a probe into allegations of corruption and influence peddling, which relate to her dealings with private businesses.
The move means the judge, Juan Carlos Peinado, has concluded there are indications of involvement in a criminal offence, but Gómez has not been formally charged. She will be questioned by the judge on July 5.
“I would like to tell you that we are both totally calm,” Sánchez wrote. “There is nothing behind this accusation, only a slanderous set-up promoted by an ultra-rightwing plaintiff.”
The preliminary investigation into Sánchez’s wife, launched in late April, was triggered by a complaint from Manos Limpias — or Clean Hands — a group with far-right links and a history of launching politically tinged litigation. Gómez has made no comment on the allegations.
Referring to his decision to stay on after his five days of reflection in April, Sánchez added: “I want to tell you that my decision to continue at the head of the government is firmer than ever.”
Without openly accusing the judge of playing politics, the prime minister wrote: “This decision has been announced only five days before the European parliamentary elections are held, which is strange.”
Sánchez described the preliminary probe into his wife as the culmination of a rightwing campaign of “harassment and destruction” against his family spanning politicians, the media and judiciary.
In his latest letter, he again named two of the protagonists as Alberto Núñez Feijóo, head of the conservative opposition People’s party, and Santiago Abascal, leader of the hard-right Vox party.
In response to the letter, Esteban González Pons, PP vice-secretary-general, published an image on social media platform X of Sánchez with a Pinocchio-length nose accompanied by the words: “The truth.”