Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his wife Begona Gomez have been at the center of a legal saga involving allegations of corruption and influence-peddling. A Spanish court recently rejected a complaint filed by Gomez against the judge investigating her, Juan Carlos Peinado.
Gomez had accused Peinado of making arbitrary and unfair judicial decisions during the investigation, which she described as unusual and erratic. She also claimed that Peinado violated the secrecy of the investigation by allowing press statements and media coverage before the probe was made public.
The investigation was initiated in April after a complaint from the anti-graft NGO Manos Limpias, which has ties to the far right. Gomez is alleged to have leveraged her husband's position for personal gain in her professional circles. Sanchez and his Socialist party have dismissed these allegations as a smear campaign orchestrated by the conservative and far-right opposition to undermine his minority government.
However, the Madrid High Court ruled that Peinado had not breached any rules or acted in a manner that supported the claims of arbitrary law application or abuse of office. The court further stated that Peinado's decisions did not infringe on Gomez's rights during the investigation.
Sanchez, who was visiting Portuguese counterpart Luis Montenegro in Portugal at the time, expressed his respect for the court's decision. This ruling follows the court's previous rejection of a separate complaint against Peinado for alleged abuse of office, filed by Sanchez through state legal services.
Source link: https://www.khaleejtimes.com
