Spanish PM's wife will face jury trial over embezzlement charges, court rules

MADRID, July 16 (Reuters) - The wife of ‌Spain's prime minister ​will ​stand trial before a jury on charges of influence peddling and embezzlement, a court ruled on Thursday, in a further setback for the government embroiled in months ‌of graft investigations and scandals.

Begoña Gomez's defence team had launched an appeal, asking ⁠Madrid's high court to drop the charges made against her that she denies, and lift other orders imposed on ‌her by a lower court ‌last month.

The Madrid court dropped a third charge of corruption in business against Gomez, and lifted the lower court's order barring her from leaving the country, making her regularly report ​to court and requiring her to surrender her passport.

But it kept the bulk of the case against her - the most serious legal challenge faced by the family and close associates ⁠of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

'GOMEZ IS INNOCENT,' SAYS PM'S OFFICE

State prosecutors had also asked the court to drop the charges - ​which were based on a legal complaint made by far-right groups who accused Gomez of using her position as the premier's spouse to secure work ​contracts.

Sanchez - who briefly considered resigning in April 2024 after ‌investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado opened the probe into Gomez - has publicly defended his family, saying the cases are politically motivated and driven by his ⁠opponents.

"Begoña Gomez is innocent," Sanchez's office said in a statement on Thursday.

"Anyone familiar with the investigation knows that this is a politically motivated case, stemming from a false allegation made by a far-right organisation, based ⁠on fake news, and whose sole motivation is to harass and persecute the prime minister’s wife."

Earlier this week, ​a court convicted Sanchez's brother of administrative misconduct and barred him from holding public office for nine years.

But Thursday's ruling confirmed Gomez will be tried by a citizen jury, a procedure reserved in Spain for a ‌limited number of offences, including influence peddling.

Data from the judiciary's governing body CGPJ shows juries convict in the vast majority of cases, with conviction ‌rates hovering around 90% over the past decade and standing at roughly 89.5% in 2024.

Under Spain's criminal ⁠code, influence peddling by a private individual ‌carries a prison sentence of ​between six months and two years, while embezzlement can carry up to eight years' imprisonment in aggravated cases.

(Reporting by Emma Pinedo and David Latona; Editing by ‌Andrew Heavens)

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