Spanish PM's wife must stand trial on corruption charges, judge rules

The wife of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Begoña Gomez, has been ordered to stand trial on corruption charges and barred from leaving the country by a Spanish judge.

The wife of Spain's Prime ​Minister Pedro Sanchez must stand ​trial on corruption charges ‌and has ​been banned from leaving the country, a judge ruled on Saturday. Begoña Gomez is under ‌investigation over allegations she used her position as the prime minister's wife to secure work contracts. She denies any wrongdoing. The case was brought by far-right ‌groups.

Investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado ordered Gomez to surrender her passport, ‌barred her from leaving Spain and required her to report to court twice a month. The case is one of several corruption probes nearing or already at trial ⁠that ​are weighing on ⁠Sanchez, one of Europe's few remaining leftist leaders. He has not been named ⁠in any of the cases and has said they are part of a ​campaign to remove him from office.

Several close allies, including the Socialist ⁠party's number three and Sanchez's former transport minister, are under investigation in cases involving alleged ⁠kickbacks ​linked to public works, oil and gas contracts, and the procurement of masks during the pandemic. They deny wrongdoing. Separately, Spain's High ⁠Court said it was investigating former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero over allegations ⁠he led ⁠a network that profited from lobbying public authorities on behalf of third parties, including airline Plus Ultra. He ‌denies the ‌claims.