Prosecutors defend PM's wife, call judge's travel ban on Begoña Gómez a 'confabulation' without basis

Prosecutors challenge measures

The Spanish Public Prosecutor's Office filed an appeal against the precautionary measures imposed by Judge Juan Carlos Peinado on Begoña Gómez, wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and her advisor Cristina Álvarez. The measures include the confiscation of their passports, a prohibition on leaving the country, and obligatory court appearances every 15 days. The prosecutor describes the decision as 'disproportionate, unnecessary, and contrary to the purposes of the law.'

It is not easy to accept that view of the State Security Forces in a Rule of Law like ours.

Lack of flight risk

In its appeal, the prosecution argues that there is no real risk of flight. Both women have strong 'family and professional roots in Spain,' are Spanish citizens, have their families in the country, and carry out their professional activities there. They lack ties abroad and possess no foreign assets that would facilitate an escape. The prosecutor contends that Judge Peinado based his decision solely on a 'hypothetical risk of flight' derived from the potential severity of the penalties, up to 24 years in prison for alleged crimes of influence peddling, embezzlement, and corruption.

Criticism of judge's reasoning

The appeal harshly criticizes the judge's reasoning, particularly his suggestion that Begoña Gómez could rely on her police escort to flee the country. The prosecutor calls this a 'confabulation' with no justification. The prosecutor also takes issue with the judge's comparison to an international drug trafficking organization, which he used as a precedent for imposing measures. 'It is the embodiment of the lack of rigour and moderation with which the decision was adopted,' the appeal states.

The confabulation that the investigating judge envisions, on the other hand, is put forward without any further justification.

Travel rulings complicate situation

Last Monday, a substitute judge, while Judge Peinado was on vacation, authorized Gómez to travel to London for her daughter's graduation but denied permission for her to attend the NATO summit in Ankara. Gómez had been invited by Turkey's first lady as part of the Spanish delegation. The appeal was actually filed on 24 June, before the judge's vacation, and its content has now come to light.

The case is currently pending a decision from the Provincial Court of Madrid on whether the accused will be sent to trial.