Ben Pawlowski
THE brother of Pedro Sanchez is being investigated over the alleged embezzlement of public funds and influence peddling just weeks after a similar case was opened against Begoña Gomez, the Prime Minister’s wife.
A court in Badajoz, Extremadura, will open a probe against David Sanchez, 50, after the far-right trade union Manos Limpias (Clean Hands) successfully filed a complaint over alleged embezzlement, misuse of public funds, influence peddling and crimes against the public administration and treasury.
The case is the second probe the activist anti-corruption union, whose leader was a former head of the fascist National Front, have launched against the PM’s family.
In April, the PSOE leader infamously stepped back from public duties for five days to ‘pause and reflect’ over whether he wanted to continue in his role after a court case was opened against his wife over alleged ‘influence peddling’.
Sanchez decided to carry on, dismissing the case as politically motivated ‘mud-slinging’ from the far-right.
The PM’s brother is accused of receiving a public salary of €55,000 for a role as orchestra director at the Badajoz Higher Conservatory of Music and coordinator for the provincial council.
He has held the role for seven years, prior to his brother becoming PM, but is accused of rarely attending his role in person, and being unable to fulfill his commitments remotely.
He is also accused of basing his tax residence in Portugal to avoid paying higher levies in Spain.
According to media reports, the judge involved in the case has opened proceedings and requested information regarding David Sanchez’s employment contract.
In a statement, the PSOE branded the complaint as a ‘new false accusation by the usual far-right union based on hoaxes and fake news from online tabloids’.
The party expressed their support for David Sanchez and assured that there is ‘no evidence of any crime’ thanks to the PM’s brother’s ‘impeccable behaviour’.
Another local official, alongside the central government’s representative in Badajoz, has also been implicated in the case.
