Spanish judge opens new front in Begoña Gómez case, probing EU funds contracts for prevarication and fraud

A widening investigation

The investigation into Begoña Gómez, wife of Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, has expanded again. Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, who already handles a sprawling case against her for influence peddling, business corruption, misappropriation and embezzlement, agreed late on Thursday to open a separate piece (pieza separada) targeting two additional suspected crimes: prevaricación and fraud against the financial interests of the European Union.

The new front stems from a contract awarded by the public company Red.es to a joint venture formed by Innova Next and the business school Escuela de Negocios The Valley. That venture is linked to businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés, who is already among those under investigation in the broader Begoña Gómez proceedings. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office had been examining the contract but has now handed the matter back to the national court after concluding that EU funds were not directly affected, according to a court order seen by laSexta.

What the UCO found

Peinado acted after receiving a report from the Central Operative Unit (UCO) of the Guardia Civil, forwarded by the European Prosecutor's Office on 8 June. The report examines electronic communications from Office 365 accounts belonging to 13 people linked to a Red.es tender for the Acelera Pyme programme, which provides advisory and support services for small businesses.

The UCO's findings, according to El Mundo, indicate that the officials handling the award allegedly concealed the fact that Barrabés's bid did not meet one of the mandatory eligibility requirements. The European Prosecutor's Office considered the conduct could amount to prevarication – knowingly issuing an unlawful administrative decision – and a crime against the EU budget.

After a legal challenge, Spain's Audiencia Nacional ordered the case to be returned to the Madrid court where Peinado sits, rather than remaining with the European body. The judge has now created a dedicated separate piece for these facts and has asked the Spanish Fiscalía (public prosecutor) to report on their legal classification.

The main case is still on course

This development does not alter the core proceeding against Begoña Gómez. That case, which has been under way for months, is at a procedural turning point. The judge held a preliminary hearing (vistilla preliminar) on Monday, a step required before Gómez can be sent to trial before a popular jury. Peinado had already charged her two months ago with influence trafficking, corruption in business, misappropriation and embezzlement of public funds.

He must now decide whether to impose precautionary measures and then issue the order opening an oral trial. The newly opened piece is formally separate, meaning it will be investigated in parallel but on its own track.

EU dimension and next steps

The involvement of EU funds raises the political stakes. The contract at issue was at least partially financed from the European budget, and the suspected irregularity is described in court documents as both a breach of domestic administrative law and a potential fraud against the Union's financial interests.

Peinado has asked the prosecutor's office to weigh in on the typicity of the facts – a standard step to confirm whether the alleged conduct fits the definitions of the crimes he is now examining. No new witness summons or charges have yet been announced in the separate piece.