Court bans Spanish PM’s wife from leaving country amid corruption probe

Begona Gomez, the wife of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, has been banned from leaving the country and ordered to surrender her passport by an investigating judge. She is facing charges including embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings, and misappropriation of funds. The accusations stem from a complaint alleging she used her position to secure work contracts, specifically concerning a chair at Madrid's Complutense University. Gomez denies any wrongdoing, and Prime Minister Sanchez has characterized the allegations as a politically motivated attempt to undermine his government. The case, which has no set trial date, is one of several corruption investigations involving Sanchez's allies.

A Spanish court has ordered Begona Gomez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, to stand trial by jury for corruption. A court order released on Saturday also banned her from leaving the country. Judge Juan Carlos Peinado mandated that Gomez surrender her passport and report to the court twice monthly until a verdict is reached. This legal action is part of a series of corruption cases involving the Prime Minister's family and former associates, which are impacting his minority coalition government.