Trial of Spanish PM's brother ends in Badajoz as judge weighs influence-peddling charges

The verdict looms

The trial of David Sánchez, brother of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, concluded Tuesday after eight sessions at the Audiencia Provincial de Badajoz. Judge José Antonio Patrocinio heard final reports from the seven popular accusations, the defense, and the prosecution, which does not press charges. Eleven defendants, including former Diputación president Miguel Ángel Gallardo and Sánchez’s friend Luis María Carrero, sat in the dock alongside over 40 witnesses. The judge gave defendants a final chance to speak; David Sánchez declined, while Gallardo used it to insist on his innocence and lament what he called a “parallel media trial.”

The only guilt we have is not sharing the same ideas as the popular accusations.

The judge must now rule on three key questions: whether the Diputación created a tailor-made coordinator post for David Sánchez in 2017, whether the role was later rebranded to lift incompatibility restrictions, and whether Sánchez influenced Carrero’s 2023 hiring.

Prosecution demands prison; prosecutor seeks acquittal

The popular accusations—Manos Limpias, Abogados Cristianos, HazteOír, PP, Vox, Iustitia Europa, and Liberum—have increased their petitions to six years in prison for David Sánchez, four for Gallardo, and two for Carrero, on charges of prevaricación and tráfico de influencias. In contrast, the Fiscalía and all defense lawyers unanimously requested libre absolución for all accused. The prosecution argued the original post was unnecessary and that administrative changes served only to accommodate the PM’s brother. The defense countered that hiring procedures were “perfectly legal” and backed by documentary evidence.

Defense targets UCO officer and media ‘parallel trial’

Defense lawyers reserved sharp criticism for the UCO’s Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Balas. Emilio Cortés, representing David Sánchez, urged the court to review video recordings of Balas’s testimony, alleging he acted “comfortable with the accusation and defiant with us.” He insisted there was no proof his client acted with intent, branding the case a “maniqueo” whipped up by media.

A Guardia Civil officer does not have to come and tell the court what is a lot or a little of the evidence.

Juan José Torres, for Gallardo, argued the only evidence against his client came from Balas’s oral statements, not the UCO’s own report, which he said acknowledged it was unknown who originally pushed for the post’s creation. Gallardo himself lamented a “social condemnation” before any verdict.

Campaign emails to the prime minister’s account

Iustitia Europa presented five emails sent by David Sánchez between 2018 and 2021 to an account identified as belonging to his brother Pedro Sánchez and Begoña Gómez. One message forwarded a warning from culture director María Emilia Parejo that high-level personnel could not have outside professional activities—a restriction that disappeared when Sánchez’s role became Head of the Office of Performing Arts. The accuser argued the change was not a routine reorganization but a deliberate removal of an incompatibility obstacle, making the emails a central piece of the case.

Political backdrop

Gallardo, once leader of the PSOE in Extremadura, told the court the accusations were driven by ideological opposition, not legal substance. He and other defendants maintained the process had been exploited as a “parallel media trial.” The judge’s ruling, now awaited, will be closely watched for its impact on Spanish politics.