Substitute judge to rule on Begoña Gómez's NATO trip after Peinado leaves for vacation without deciding
A substitute judge will decide whether Begoña Gómez, wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, can travel to the NATO summit in Ankara and her daughter's graduation in London, after the investigating judge went on vacation without ruling on her request.
Background
Begoña Gómez, wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, is under judicial investigation for alleged influence peddling, business corruption, misappropriation and embezzlement of public funds. The case centres on software contracts linked to a university chair she directed at the Complutense University of Madrid. On 20 June 2026, Judge Juan Carlos Peinado of Madrid's Court of Instruction No. 41 ordered her to stand trial before a popular jury and imposed precautionary measures: confiscation of her passport, a ban on leaving Spain without authorisation, and fortnightly court signings. The judge cited a risk of flight. Gómez surrendered her passport on 24 June.
The travel request
Days after handing over the document, Gómez's defence asked the court for permission to travel abroad between 7 and 10 July. She plans to accompany Sánchez to the 36th NATO Summit in Ankara, where she has been officially invited by Emine Erdoğan, wife of the Turkish president. The trip would be made on the official Spanish delegation aircraft. After the summit, she would fly to London to attend her daughter's graduation, returning to Madrid on a commercial flight on 10 July. Her lawyer, Antonio Camacho, argued that the presidential security detail would accompany her throughout, guaranteeing her location, and that the passport would be returned to the court the next working day.
In any case, the entire trip will be carried out with the security team that accompanies the President of the Government on all his trips, which by itself guarantees the absolute security of all my client's movements.
Judicial limbo
Judge Peinado had already scheduled this week as vacation and left without resolving the request. The matter now falls to a substitute court, which is expected to issue a decision on 6 July given the urgency. The popular prosecution, led by Hazte Oír, has expressed its "definitive and total opposition" to any temporary return of the passport, insisting the flight risk remains. The Madrid Public Prosecutor's Office has stated it does not oppose the travel. Meanwhile, Gómez's defence has filed a complaint appeal with the Provincial Court of Madrid seeking to overturn all three precautionary measures, which it describes as "disproportionate and offensive".
- Judge Peinado orders passport confiscation, travel ban and fortnightly signings.
- Gómez surrenders her passport to the court.
- Peinado on vacation; substitute judge expected to rule on travel request.
- NATO summit begins in Ankara; Gómez's planned departure date.
Political reaction
The leader of the opposition People's Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, weighed in on the morning of 6 July. He declined to say whether the passport confiscation was proportionate, stating that he distinguishes the political from the judicial sphere. However, he called Gómez's potential presence at international events inappropriate.
What seems absolutely improper to me is that the wife of the prime minister, charged several times, is parading around international forums.
Feijóo added that the situation should be avoided "at all costs", suggesting that other leaders would remark on the fact that the Spanish prime minister's wife is under indictment for multiple offences.
