This development comes after Sánchez withdrew from public life over the weekend following the initiation of a preliminary investigation by the public prosecutor’s office into corruption allegations against his wife. However, on Thursday evening, the prosecution requested the court to dismiss the proceedings due to a lack of evidence.

The political landscape in Spain is being muddied with scandal, pulling the country deeper into a metaphorical swamp. The latest victim is the Socialist Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, whose wife, Begona Gómez, is accused of influence peddling and corruption. Following the launch of a preliminary investigation against his spouse by the prosecutors, Sánchez announced he would pause all public appearances until Monday to ponder his political future. The official statement attributed Sánchez's decision to fatigue from months of sustained smear campaigns targeting him and his wife, with no end in sight from his political adversaries. “I am not naive. I know they are not attacking Begona because she did something wrong, but because she is my wife. In this situation, I must stop and consider whether all this struggle is worth it. Honestly, I don’t know,” the Prime Minister stated. Sánchez is also likely assessing the solidity of the accusations and the likelihood of incriminating evidence coming to light.

The corruption scandal and the Prime Minister’s temporary retreat occur at a particularly inopportune time as Spain prepares for the European Parliamentary elections in June, as well as local elections in Catalonia. The uncertainty clearly benefits the right-wing opposition. Particularly because the coalition supporting Sánchez, although odd and fragile, was only possible through an alliance with Catalan pro-independence parties, a move that was unpopular among Spaniards as it involved granting amnesty to two separatist Catalan leaders.

THE ACCUSATIONS

Sánchez claims that his wife is completely innocent and that Begona Gómez is fully cooperating with the investigation. While the exact charges against Gómez have not been specifically disclosed by Sánchez and the prosecutors, reports suggest that the Prime Minister’s wife collaborated with private companies that had business dealings with the government or had won significant amounts of public money through various public tenders. One example cited in the media is a sponsor agreement from 2020 between a university research institute led by Gómez and Globalia, a tourism company. In 2020, Globalia received €475 million in state aid to rescue its airline, Air Europa, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. Globalia and Gómez have yet to respond. The research institute claims it only received airline tickets from the company and no financial benefits.

The investigation commenced after an official complaint by the civil organization Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), which has ties to the far-right, including the sovereigntist Vox party. However, Miguel Bernad, the leader of Manos Limpias and also considered far-right, is not entirely convinced of the allegations’ validity. “Those who published the information should bear the responsibility if the claims are untrue,” stated Bernad, indicating that the complaint was based on assertions made by various right-wing online news outlets without any independent investigation. With the prosecution seeing insufficient evidence, they have requested the court halt the proceedings. The court has yet to issue an opinion.

A DIVIDED COUNTRY

While allies of Sánchez, in power since 2018, stand by him, emphasizing that neither the Prime Minister nor his wife deserves this "witch hunt," the opposition accuses Sánchez of choosing silence over transparency. They argue the case against Begona Gómez is a legal issue tarnishing the country's international reputation rather than a political matter, and that the Prime Minister's withdrawal does not contribute to resolving the uncertainty.