The Madrid Provincial Court confirmed on Thursday that Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, will stand trial for influence peddling and misappropriation of public funds. The court partially upheld the decision of investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado but dismissed a third charge of business corruption and revoked precautionary measures that had required Gómez to surrender her passport and report to authorities every two weeks. No trial date has been set; the case will be heard by a popular jury, as requested by the investigating magistrate.

The defence had appealed to have all charges dropped, and the public prosecutor also requested the case be dismissed. The court, however, found sufficient evidence to proceed on the two remaining counts. The prime minister’s office issued a statement asserting Gómez’s innocence and describing the case as politically motivated, originating from a complaint filed by a right-wing organisation and based on what it called false news. Sánchez briefly considered resigning when the investigation was opened in April 2024, and has since publicly defended his family against what he portrays as a partisan campaign.

The charges stem from Gómez’s role co-directing a master’s programme at the Complutense University of Madrid. According to the prosecution, she used her position as the prime minister’s spouse to secure the academic appointment and funding, and misappropriated public resources, including the services of a government-paid assistant, for her private professional activities. The court found no credible evidence that she received gifts or kickbacks, leading to the dismissal of the corruption charge. The lifting of the travel ban means Gómez, who was unable to accompany Sánchez to a NATO summit in Turkey last week, is now free to travel, though she must remain contactable.

The trial is the most serious legal challenge yet in a cascade of judicial proceedings affecting Sánchez’s inner circle. His brother David was sentenced this week to a nine-year ban from public office for influence peddling. Former transport minister José Luis Ábalos was sentenced to 24 years in prison in a separate corruption case, and another close ally, Santos Cerdán, is also under investigation. Former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, a key Socialist figure, was recently indicted for influence peddling. Opposition parties on the right have called for Sánchez’s resignation and early elections, which he has rejected. The trial date remains pending; under Spanish law, jury trials for such offences carry conviction rates approaching 90 percent, according to data from the General Council of the Judiciary.