Madrid judge orders Begoña Gómez to face jury trial over embezzlement charges
Judge Juan Carlos Peinado has ordered Begoña Gómez, wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and her Moncloa assistant Cristina Álvarez to stand trial before a jury on charges of influence peddling and embezzlement.
Trial order and specific charges
Investigating magistrate Juan Carlos Peinado of Madrid Court of Instruction Number 41 has signed a 67-page order sending Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, to an oral trial before a jury. The decision follows a July ruling by the Provincial Court of Madrid endorsing the investigation into Gómez for influence peddling and embezzlement of public funds. The court also ordered her Moncloa assistant, Cristina Álvarez Rodríguez, to stand trial on embezzlement charges as a necessary cooperator. Both defendants will face direct and joint civil liability. The allegations center on the claimed appropriation of university software developed within an extraordinary chair at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). In addition, the investigation claims Gómez used public staff paid by the prime minister's office for private activities and supported businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés to secure two public government contracts.
Judicial handover and financial review
The ruling comes days before Peinado reaches the mandatory judicial retirement age of 72 on 27 September 2026. The case dossier now moves to the Provincial Court of Madrid, which comprises more than 160 magistrates across 32 sections, where it will be assigned among 12 eligible criminal panels to organize evidence and schedule the trial. Peinado declined to impose precautionary measures on the defendants but ordered the Punto Neutro Judicial network to retrieve Gómez's tax declarations for the past five years to evaluate potential economic liabilities. The judge also rejected a defense request to take witness testimony from professor Jose Manuel Ruano prior to the trial. The decision addressed arguments presented on 8 September by defense counsel Jaime Campaner, who argued that popular prosecution group Hazte Oír improperly included police reports and preliminary witness statements in its accusation brief.
- Manos Limpias files initial complaint against Begoña Gómez in Madrid
- Central Operative Unit delivers report finding no evidence of corruption offences
- Judge Peinado places Gómez, Juan Carlos Barrabés, and Joaquín Goyache under formal investigation
- Gómez invokes her right to remain silent during court summons
- Preliminary hearing takes place regarding filings submitted by Hazte Oír
- Judge Peinado issues order sending Gómez and Cristina Álvarez to jury trial
- Judge Peinado reaches mandatory retirement age of 72
Political reactions and legal positions
The Spanish government rejected the ruling, criticizing both its timing and procedural handling. Government officials stated that the judicial decision was made public before formal notification reached the defense and coincided with an official international trip by Sánchez.
We condemn the decision of Judge Peinado to order the opening of an oral trial against Begoña Gómez. We denounce that this is an arbitrary and unfair investigation that only responds to judicial persecution against Begoña Gómez for being the wife of the prime minister.
The Madrid Provincial Prosecutor's Office and defense counsel have requested total acquittal, pointing to a May 2024 report by the Civil Guard Central Operative Unit that found no evidence of criminal conduct. That investigation had widened in June 2024 when Complutense rector Joaquín Goyache and Barrabés were changed from witnesses to formal suspects. While the public prosecutor maintains that no crimes were committed, Hazte Oír seeks a 13-year prison sentence for Gómez. The proceedings originated from an 8 April 2024 complaint by Manos Limpias, whose general secretary Miguel Bernad subsequently acknowledged that the claim may have rested on false press reports.
