Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was summoned on Monday to be heard by a judge as a witness in the case in which the woman is being investigated on suspicion of influence peddling and corruption.
According to a statement issued by the Madrid court responsible for the case, the judge will travel on the morning of July 30 to the Moncloa Palace, the seat of the Spanish government, to hear Sanchez.
“It is appropriate, useful and relevant to collect the statements of the husband of the person being investigated, Pedro Sánchez Castejón,” the judge said, in an order reported by several Spanish newspapers.
Thus, the judge in charge of the case of Begoña Gómez, the Prime Minister’s wife, accepted the request to hear Sánchez presented by the so-called “popular accusations”, which were formed after the opening of the judicial investigation and led by the far-right Vox party.
Last Friday, Begoña Gomez invoked her right to remain silent and the judge in the case did not listen to her.
Begoña Gomez chose not to respond to the judge “not because she has something to hide or because she does not want to provide explanations,” but because her defense advised her to do so, which considered that the “guarantees” provided for in the ruling were not guaranteed, she told reporters to her lawyer Antonio Camacho on Friday.
The lawyer considered that the investigating judge in the case did not specify the subject of the investigation, pointing out that two reports from the police investigation team were sent to the judge, concluding that there were no signs of violations.
“This procedure lacks any purpose at the moment,” said Antonio Camacho. “The investigating judge cannot investigate anything, he must determine the subject of the investigation.”
The investigation into Begoña Gomez is based on complaints filed by associations linked to the far right, and focuses in particular on her professional relationship with a businessman whose companies negotiated public aid or participated in public tenders at a time when Pedro Sánchez was already prime minister.
In line with the conclusions of the police investigation, the Public Prosecutor’s Office considered that there were no grounds for the case and requested that it be closed.
However, the investigating judge considered that there was sufficient evidence to continue the investigation, and summoned several people to give their statements.
Begoña Gomez, who has a degree in Marketing and Management, has specialized in fundraising for foundations and NGOs in her career.
Sanchez and the Spanish Socialist Party have stressed that there is no justification for this judicial investigation and that the political and personal persecution of the Prime Minister and his family is at stake, with the case closed.
Along with the amnesty law for Catalan independence activists, this issue has been the main target of attacks on the prime minister for several weeks, and it was also the reason that led Sánchez to consider resigning at the end of April, saying he was a victim, with a family of “sludge machines” that spread lies and disinformation on the internet, then are taken into the political debate by the right and far right and brought to justice with complaints from extremist associations.
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