Simon Hunter
A SECOND report put together by Spain’s Guardia Civil has not found any wrongdoing by the Spanish prime minister’s wife, Begoña Gomez, as part of an ongoing judicial probe into her business activities on accusations of influence peddling.
In May, the police force issued a first report about Pedro Sanchez’s spouse, in which it also stated that no offences had been committed by Gomez.
Both of these documents have been leaked to the press, as the investigation by a Madrid court continues its course, ahead of a possible trial.
In this second report, Spanish daily El Pais reported, the Guardia Civil found no irregularities in six contracts that are under scrutiny, in relation to accusations of influence peddling and corruption.
The case against Gomez first came to light in April, when she was accused by trade union Manos Limpias (Clean Hands) of using her position as the prime minister’s wife to influence her business dealings.
Manos Limpias, which has links to the far right, accused her of securing sponsors for a university master’s course she ran thanks to her position, among other accusations.
The union’s case, however, was based on eight newspaper reports about her activities, some of which had already been debunked as being false.
The lawsuit against her has since been joined by the far-right Vox party, as well as Iustitia Europa, which is best known for campaigning against restrictions imposed by the Spanish government during the Covid-19 pandemic, news agency Reuters reports.
Meanwhile, another complaint has been filed against her by an ultra-Catholic group called Hazte Oir (Make Yourself Heard).
Madrid prosecutors have called for the case to be thrown out.
Allegations against her of influence peddling relating to European Union funds are going to be investigated separately, in this case by European prosecutors.
Gomez appeared in court last Friday, where she was due to testify in the case.
Amid a large police presence, she was allowed to enter via a parking garage for security reasons.
The hearing was postponed, however, after her defence lawyers told the court that she had not been properly informed of the complaint from Hazte Oir.
She will have to return to the court on July 19 to continue testifying.
After news of the case hit the headlines, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez took the unprecedented step of pausing his public duties while he considered whether or not to resign.
While his wife has not publicly commented on the case, Sanchez has repeatedly insisted that she has done nothing wrong.
After taking a pause to consider his position, Sanchez opted to stay on, accusing the political opposition and sectors of the press of ‘mud-slinging’, and vowing to crack down on public funding for media outlets that publish unsubstantiated stories.
