The anti-corruption group behind the complaint against Begona Gomez over alleged influence peddling and corporate corruption says it cannot vouch for the accuracy of the media reports on which the case is based.
Prosecutors in Spain have asked for a corruption case against Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s wife to be dropped, prompting him to announce he is considering resigning.
Madrid’s law enforcement agency said Thursday that it has appealed a Madrid court’s decision on Wednesday to consider a private lawsuit filed by anti-corruption activists against Begona Gomez over alleged influence peddling and corporate corruption.
The appeal will be heard by a separate court and could take months, and the judge’s investigation into Gomez is now sealed.
The Spanish anti-corruption group behind the complaint, Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), previously said it had based its lawsuit on media reports and could not vouch for their accuracy.
The group’s leader, Miguel Bernad, said in a statement on Facebook that the group compiled the reports and forwarded them to a judge solely out of “civic duty,” and denied that the action was politically motivated.
“Unprecedented defamation”
Sánchez, who last year secured another term for his Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) as leader of a minority coalition government, sent a stunning letter to citizens on Wednesday saying he was taking a five-day break from his public duties and making this known Will give his decision to stay or quit on Monday.
He blamed the move on “unprecedented slander and harassment from the right and far right.”
In his letter, Sanchez firmly denied the allegations against his wife. Gomez has not addressed her publicly.
Bernad, who ran in two European elections in the 1980s as a candidate for the far-right Front National, said in his statement on Thursday that the lawsuit was not political but was “based exclusively on journalistic reports.”
Manos Limpias decided to ask the court to open an investigation into Gomez’s business dealings after prosecutors failed to act on their own initiative, and the investigating judge will decide whether the media reports were true, Bernad said.
The judge handling the case, Juan Carlos Peinado, said Wednesday that he would open a preliminary hearing to investigate whether Gomez engaged in influence peddling and corruption in her private business dealings.
“Toxic” climate
Senior PSOE officials rallied around Sanchez, calling the political climate “toxic” and Manos Limpias’ complaint false.
Deputy Prime Minister and Budget Minister Maria Jesus Montero said she hoped he would announce next week that he would remain in his post “because we need him.”
If Sánchez resigns, a new prime ministerial candidate could face a vote in the lower house of parliament or early elections could be held in the summer.
Sanchez could also undergo a confidence vote to strengthen his leadership.