The legal cases troubling Spain's PM

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is grappling with a series of legal probes involving his inner circle, including his wife, brother and a former transport minister.

Here is a look at the legal cases troubling one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders:

– Wife –

Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomez, has been under investigation since April 2024 for alleged corruption and influence peddling related to her time working at Madrid’s Complutense University.

This followed complaints from two groups with far-right ties: “Manos Limpias” (Clean Hands) and “Hazte Oir” (Make Your Voice Heard).

She is also suspected of having illegally appropriated software financed by private companies and initially intended for the university.

When the 50-year-old was questioned in court in December, she said she had “nothing to hide”.

The Socialist Party has dismissed the allegations against her as part of a “smear campaign” orchestrated by the right.

– Ex-minister –

Sanchez’s former transport minister Jose Luis Abalos, formerly a member of his inner circle, is also under investigation.

He has been accused of having taken kickbacks for contracts to buy masks and other medical supplies in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sanchez removed him from office in July 2021 and he was expelled from the Socialist Party in February 2024 when the affair broke. He still sits as an independent member of parliament.

The investigation, which also concerns other possible rigged public contracts, took a dramatic turn on Thursday with the release of a police report implicating Santos Cerdan, the Socialist Party’s number three, in the case.

Cerdan, a longtime associate of Sanchez, stepped down from his role in the party and as a lawmaker in response.

– Brother –

The prime minister’s younger brother, David Sanchez, has been under investigation since 2024 for alleged embezzlement, influence peddling and tax fraud following a complaint from Manos Limpias.

The group accuses him of using his brother’s influence to secure a public sector job in the southwestern province of Badajoz, which is run by the Socialists, and of collecting a salary without showing up to work –allegations he denies.

– Judicial leaks –

The prime minister’s entourage is also accused of leaking information to the media for political reasons.

The case in question is a tax fraud case involving the partner of Isabel Diaz Ayuso, head of the Madrid region and a leading figure in Spain’s opposition conservative Popular Party.

Alberto Gonzalez Amador, a businessman, reportedly proposed a guilty plea deal to the public prosecutor’s office by email in an attempt to avoid a trial and a possible jail term. This email was leaked to the press.

Amador accused state prosecutors of having violated his right to privacy and in October the Supreme Court opened a probe into Spain’s top prosecutor, Alvaro Garcia Ortiz, who is accused of being behind the leak.

The Supreme Court on Monday said that there is sufficient evidence to send Ortiz, who was appointed by Sanchez’s government in 2022, to trial.

Ortiz has denied leaking any information about Amador, either personally or through his office.

– Leire Diez affair –

Socialist Party member Leire Diez is accused of carrying out a smear campaign against a police unit that investigated graft allegations against Sanchez’s wife, brother and his former right-hand man.

In leaked audio recordings, she appears to offer judicial leniency to a police commander and businessman in exchange for potentially compromising information on top members of the unit.

She has denied the allegations, saying she was conducting research for a book and was not working on behalf of the party or Sanchez. She also resigned from the Socialist Party earlier this month.