Spanish police and minister condemn judge's claim officers could help Begoña Gómez escape trial
The interior minister and Spain’s main police unions reacted furiously after Judge Juan Carlos Peinado opened a trial against Begoña Gómez, wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and suggested the officers who guard her could help her abscond.
Judge opens trial against Begoña Gómez
On Saturday, Judge Juan Carlos Peinado of Madrid’s Court of Instruction issued an 84-page ruling opening an oral trial against Begoña Gómez, wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The charges include alleged influence peddling, business corruption, misappropriation of funds, and embezzlement of public money. As part of the ruling, the judge withdrew Gómez’s passport and prohibited her from leaving Spain, also requiring her to appear before the court every 15 days to sign in.
Flight risk based on police escort
The most contentious part of the ruling came in the justification for the precautionary measures. Peinado argued that the National Police officers who provide security to Gómez as the prime minister’s wife could, in a given moment, facilitate her escape.
There is no doubt that those agents, at a given moment, whether on their own initiative or following orders from their hierarchical superiors, could be precisely those who collaborate in the action or actions carried out to facilitate it.
The defense had argued the opposite: that precisely because Gómez is under constant state protection, she is unable to flee. The judge rejected that reasoning.
Police unions erupt in outrage
The statement provoked an immediate and unanimous backlash from Spain’s main police unions. Jupol, the largest union and one that is strongly at odds with the government, called the suggestion “an absolute barbarity”.
It is an absolute barbarity to suggest that members of the National Police, and in particular the agents assigned to the security of the Presidency of the Government, could collaborate in a hypothetical escape or in any action aimed at removing a person from the reach of Justice, whoever says it.
The union also demanded a rectification, arguing that agents undergo rigorous selection and training and act strictly under the law.
The SUP described the judge’s reasoning as “unacceptable” and “especially worrying”, while the UFP called it “an out-of-place savagery”. All three unions emphasised the professionalism of the units protecting authorities and the harm caused to the institution’s image.
Government complaint to judicial watchdog
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska escalated the matter by sending a formal “most energetic complaint” to Isabel Perelló, president of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), the body that oversees judges.
These claims represent a serious questioning of the professionalism of the members of the State Security Forces, whose actions are carried out only within parameters of legality and constitute one of the main guarantees of the rule of law.
Marlaska noted that the suspicion extends not just to the individual officers assigned to protect the prime minister’s wife, but also to their superiors, suggesting they might issue illegal orders. He asked the CGPJ to take any measures it considers appropriate.
Broader case against Gómez and co-defendants
Alongside Gómez, the judge also sent businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés to trial for alleged influence peddling and business corruption. Gómez’s adviser, Cristina Álvarez, was subjected to the same movement restrictions: her passport was withdrawn and she must also report to the court every fortnight. The case stems from an investigation into university master’s programs and funding, and has weighed on the government for months.
