Madrid, April 24, 2024 (AFP)
A Madrid court said Wednesday it had opened a preliminary investigation into the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on suspicion of influence peddling and corruption.
In a brief statement, the court said it had "opened an investigation into the alleged offence of influence peddling and corruption in business against Begona Gomez".
It said the investigation, which is "subjected to a secrecy order" was opened on April 16 following a complaint filed by Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), an anti-corruption pressure group whose leader is linked to the far-right.
The court statement was issued several hours after online news site El Confidencial published a story saying investigators were looking into Gomez's ties to several private companies that ended up receiving funds or public contracts from the government.
It said the probe was linked to the alleged ties she had with Spanish tourism group Globalia, which owns Air Europa.
The ties are alleged to have taken place when the carrier was in talks with the government to secure a huge bailout after it was badly hit by the plunge in air traffic due to the Covid-19 crisis.
At the time, Gomez was running IE Africa Center, a foundation linked to Madrid's Instituto de Empresa (IE) business school, a position she left in 2022.
El Confidencial said IE Africa Center had "signed a sponsorship agreement with Globalia in 2020" and that Gomez had also "held a private meeting with its CEO Javier Hidalgo at the company's offices. At the same time Globalia was negotiating a multi-million euro bailout with the government".
- 'The PM needs to explain' -
Last month, Globalia told El Confidencial that Hidalgo and Gomez had met at its offices on June 24 and July 16.
On July 3, Sanchez's government announced it was creating a 10-billion-euro fund to bail out strategic firms hardest hit by the pandemic.
Exactly four months later, the cabinet approved a 475-million-euro lifeline for Air Europa which was the first major Spanish company to tap the funds.
Manos Limpias, which filed the complaint, is headed by Miguel Bernad, a lawyer who was sentenced to four years in 2021 for his role in a scheme to extort major companies.
But he was acquitted by the Supreme Court last month for lack of evidence.
Asked about the El Confidencial story in parliament on Wednesday, Sanchez said he had faith in the justice system.
"On a day like today, after the news I've heard, despite everything, I still believe in Spain's justice system," he said.
But the right-wing opposition Popular Party (PP) demanded explanations.
"It is imperative that the prime minister holds a press conference to explain," Ester Munoz, a senior PP official said.
"This family is being investigated by the court... it is important enough that the prime minister explains himself to the Spanish people."

Sumber : AFP