Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, has moved a step nearer to trial after a judge ordered the next procedural step in the case against her, while at the same time throwing out one of the five allegations against her.
According to the ruling, reported on by El País on Monday, Gómez will no longer face the allegation of practicing a profession without the required qualifications due to a lack of evidence. She is, however, expected to face trial for embezzlement, influence peddling, business corruption, and misappropriation.
The decision follows a hearing held earlier this month.
The case has drawn significant attention in Spain because it focuses not on a traditional political role, but on Gómez’s work with the Complutense University of Madrid — and whether her position as the prime minister’s wife gave her unfair influence.
Gómez was not a professor or a formal holder of a university chair. Instead, she helped run a university-linked program built around what is known in Spain as an “extraordinary chair.” These are typically partnerships between universities and private companies, set up to run projects, courses, or research initiatives. They are often funded externally and can involve people from outside academia in leadership or promotional roles.
In this case, Gómez co-directed a master’s program and a related project. The legal question is whether she used her connections to help that initiative secure backing or advantages it would not otherwise have received.
The investigation began in April 2024 after a complaint by the activist group Manos Limpias and was later expanded with legal actions from the right-wing Vox party. It has since focused on two main issues: Gómez’s dealings with business figures connected to the university project, and the role of a government adviser assigned to assist her.
That adviser, Cristina Álvarez, has also been ordered to face prosecution, along with businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés. According to Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, who has been leading the investigation for two years, Álvarez was involved in tasks such as fundraising and liaising with companies, which may have given the project the appearance of official government backing, as she was officially employed by the prime minister’s office.
The judge argues there are signs that decisions taken after Sánchez rose to power may have benefited Gómez’s university-linked initiative, possibly through her personal influence. He also rejected the defense’s claim that the arrangement was harmless because it was unpaid, stating that any advantage could still count even if it was indirect or benefited third parties rather than Gómez personally.
Gómez’s legal team strongly disputes the case. Her lawyer has argued there is no factual basis for any of the allegations and has criticized the investigation as repetitive and lacking proper legal safeguards.
For now, the case is moving into its next phase. Prosecutors and other parties must decide whether to formally push for a trial — which would likely be heard before a jury.
