Spanish judge bars PM's wife from leaving Spain, citing flight risk with police escort help

Precautionary measures

On Friday Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, the investigating magistrate in the long-running 'caso Begoña', imposed strict restrictions on Begoña Gómez, wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. She must hand over her passport, may not leave Spain, and is required to report to the Plaza de Castilla courthouse every two weeks.

The most controversial part of the ruling is the justification for a flight risk. According to the judge's order, the very agents assigned to protect Gómez could become a liability.

The agents may, on their own initiative or following orders from their superiors, collaborate in acts to facilitate her escape.

The reasoning has been widely condemned as an insult to the National Police.

Political reactions

The decision has inflamed an already polarised environment. Government supporters view the measures as disproportionate and politically motivated, while opposition figures welcomed the move. Antón Losada, a journalist close to the government, summed up the mood among Sánchez loyalists.

The time has come to put our foot down, friends.

Ester Muñoz, a prominent figure in the People's Party, described the ruling in stark terms.

It is the deep state acting against the democratic Government of Spain.

Police unions also expressed outrage, with officers reportedly scandalised by the judge's suggestion that they would be complicit in a criminal escape.

The investigation so far

The 'caso Begoña' began in April 2024 and has run for over two years. Critics have called it a prospective investigation, one that has not demonstrated any profit to Gómez. Reports from the Central Operational Unit of the Guardia Civil indicate that Gómez earned only 17,037.75 euros over a two‑year period, a sum that opponents say undermines the severity of the accusations.

The timing of the initial probe is also contentious. Commentators note that the case was launched shortly after it became known that the partner of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the PP president of the Madrid region, had defrauded the tax authorities of more than 800,000 euros.

Wider implications

For the government, the case supplies the narrative of victimisation that has sustained Sánchez through multiple judicial blows against his inner circle. Unlike previous scandals involving a brother and former party officials, the investigation into the prime minister's wife is seen as a direct attack on the executive. Some voices now argue that Judge Peinado, far from damaging the government, has become an electoral asset for the Socialist Party by embodying what it calls a politically motivated judicial crusade.

The precautionary measures are likely to be appealed. Legal analysts expect that a higher court will eventually return Gómez's passport. In the meantime, the ruling deepens the confrontation between the judiciary and the executive, with each side accusing the other of overreach.