The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, announced on Wednesday April 24, in a letter published on the social network, ” to reflect on “ to a possible resignation after the announcement of the opening of an investigation against his wife for influence peddling and corruption. “I need to stop and think” in order to decide “whether I should continue to be head of government or whether I should renounce this honor”, he wrote. Mr. Sanchez will announce his decision to the press on Monday and suspend his public activities until then.
This preliminary investigation against Begoña Gomez, relating to “alleged crimes of influence peddling and corruption”, was opened on April 16 after a complaint from the Manos limpias (“clean hands”) association, the Madrid Superior Court of Justice announced Wednesday in a short press release. It is placed under the seal of “secret of instruction”added the court.
In his letter, Pedro Sanchez, in power since 2018, denounces a complaint based on facts “non-existent”a campaign of ” harassment “ led by media “ultraconservatives” and supported, according to him, by the right-wing and far-right opposition against his wife. “I’m not naive”he said, “I am aware of the fact that they are filing a complaint against Begoña, not because she did something illegal, because they know that is not true, but because she is my wife”.
According to the online media The Confidential, who revealed the informationthis investigation focuses in particular on Begoña Gomez’s links with the Spanish tourism group Globalia, owner of the airline Air Europa, at a time when the latter was in talks with the government to obtain aid in the face of the heavy fall in the air traffic caused by the Covid pandemic.
At the time, Mme Gomez headed IE Africa Center, a foundation linked to Madrid’s IE University business school, a position she left in 2022. According to The Confidential, IE Africa Center had “signed a sponsorship agreement with Globalia in 2020” and Begoña Gomez would have participated in “a private meeting with its CEO, Javier Hidalgo, at the time when Globalia was negotiating its multi-million euro bailout plan with the government” by Mr. Sanchez.
This plan allowed Air Europa to receive 475 million euros in November 2020, from a 10 billion fund intended to support strategic companies in difficulty due to the health crisis. The Spanish company was the first company to benefit from this fund. Dozens of others followed, including several of its competitors (Iberia, Vueling, Volotea, etc.).
“Everything will end up being known”
The right-wing opposition on Wednesday called on the prime minister to “give explanations to the Spanish”through the voice of Ester Muñoz, member of the leadership of the Popular Party (PP, right). “Everything will end up being known”warned a party spokesperson, Borja Semper.
Since the first revelations in the press on this affair, the PP has continued to attack the Prime Minister and his wife. “Pedro Sanchez wants to appear calm, but he is very nervous”, assured the leader of this formation, Alberto Nuñez Feijoo, at the end of March. Questioned on Wednesday in Parliament, Mr. Sanchez assured that he had confidence in justice. “A day like today, after the news I heard, despite everything, I still believe in the justice of my country”he assured.
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Manos limpias, a collective founded in 1995, has been at the origin of several legal proceedings in recent years and has become a civil party in numerous trials for corruption cases. It is considered close to the extreme right, in particular because of the personality of its founder, Miguel Bernad, former leader of the Frente nacional party, dissolved in 1993.
Accused of being involved in an extortion network, Mr. Bernad was sentenced to four years in prison in July 2021, but was finally acquitted on appeal last month, for lack of evidence according to the court.