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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has declined to testify as a witness in a corruption probe into his wife and filed a lawsuit against the investigative judge, escalating a months-long legal dispute.
Sánchez on Tuesday exercised his right under Spanish law to refuse to answer questions about close relatives after judge Juan Carlos Peinado took the extraordinary step of travelling to the premier’s residence to interrogate him.
Shortly after, state lawyers accused Peinado of “perversion of justice” in a formal 35-page lawsuit filed against him that named Sánchez as the plaintiff.
The developments mark a sharp escalation in a long-running conflict between the Socialist prime minister and Peinado.
The prime minister has described the criminal investigation as part of a rightwing smear campaign against him. The case, which started in April, centres on allegations of influence peddling and corruption against his wife, Begoña Gómez, over her business dealings in academia.
The lawsuit against the judge says that the government led by Sánchez “has been wronged by the crime allegedly committed” by Peinado. Beyond displaying a “lack of precision” in the case, Peinado is accused of targeting Gómez only because her husband is the prime minister.
Pilar Alegría, government spokesperson, said: “This lawsuit is intended to respect the independence of the judiciary, but also to defend it from the practices of those who operate for political motives and outside the law.”
Sánchez met the judge for two minutes on Tuesday and answered two questions, according to Antonio Camacho, his wife’s lawyer.
Asked if he was related to any of the people under investigation, Sánchez replied that Gómez was his wife. Asked whether he wanted to testify, he replied that he did not.
Peinado was also accompanied by a lawyer for the far-right Vox party, which joined the case against Gómez.
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 slanted legal cases.
After taking five days to reflect on his future in April, Sánchez announced that he would carry on as prime minister. When Gómez was placed under formal investigation in June, he said: “I will not be broken.”
Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the conservative opposition, said: “Sánchez has not wanted to testify before the judiciary, but he will answer to the Spanish people for so many injustices.”