Begoña Gómez surrenders passport as Spanish court moves toward trial over corruption allegations

Begoña Gómez arrived at the Plaza de Castilla courthouse shortly after 18:00 on Wednesday and surrendered her passport to the investigating magistrate Juan Carlos Peinado. The judge had ordered the seizure along with a ban on leaving Spain and a requirement to sign in at the court every fortnight, arguing that the prime minister's position is "ephemeral" and that her police escort could, "either on their own initiative or following orders from their hierarchical superiors," facilitate an escape.

Gómez entered through the underground garage, as she has done during previous appearances, after the senior judge of the Madrid court, María Jesús del Barco, authorised the route citing a "hostile environment and evident social rejection" that posed a risk to her physical integrity.

The measures and the judge's reasoning

Peinado opened an oral jury trial against Gómez last Saturday on charges of influence peddling, corruption in private business, misappropriation of public funds through the use of her Moncloa adviser for private activities, and misappropriation of software linked to a university chair she co-directed at the Complutense University of Madrid. The preliminary hearing had taken place a week earlier, where the popular prosecution led by Hazte Oír requested the precautionary measures.

Alongside Gómez, her adviser Cristina Álvarez faces similar charges and the same restrictions. Álvarez handed her passport to the court on Tuesday.

In his ruling, the judge suggested that the police officers assigned to protect the prime minister's wife might assist a flight, a remark that drew sharp criticism from police unions and government officials. The defence described it as "doubting the integrity of National Police officers without a single objective fact to justify it," calling it "unacceptable speculation."

Government reaction

Government spokesperson Elma Saiz called the judicial process "anomalous" and "a nonsense" ("despropósito"), while insisting that Gómez was complying with the measures imposed by the judge. "We hope that higher bodies will bring order," Saiz told reporters. The government, in a note to media outlets, earlier stated that the magistrate's decision "confirms the persecution, obsession and disproportionate nature" of an investigation "that lacks any legal sense and only responds to political motives."

“We hope that higher bodies will bring order.”

Pedro Sánchez, speaking in Congress hours before the passport handover, addressed the raft of judicial cases surrounding his administration, saying it was difficult to speak about them because they affect "the people I love most" and that they are built on "unfounded accusations and a pattern of harassment and demolition similar to what we have seen deployed in other Western countries."

Appeal and summer travel

Gómez's lawyer, former socialist minister Antonio Camacho, promptly lodged an appeal asking the Madrid Provincial Court to revoke the measures, arguing they violate principles of necessity and proportionality and harm the fundamental right of free movement enshrined in the Constitution. The appeal notes that "the whereabouts and movements of Begoña Gómez are known at all times by the state," making the restrictions unnecessary. It also explicitly requests the return of the passport "given the summer season that is approaching," insisting she has strong family, social and professional ties and has attended every court summons.

“The whereabouts and movements of Begoña Gómez are known at all times by the state, which makes the precautionary measures objectively unnecessary.”

The Provincial Court has yet to rule on the appeal. The case, which dates back to April 2024, continues to fuel political tension as the legislature faces near-paralysis.