Spanish court orders trial for Prime Minister's wife Begona Gomez

A Madrid court has ordered a trial for Begona Gomez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, following a two-year investigation into her professional activities. She faces charges including misappropriation, influence peddling, business corruption, and trademark embezzlement related to her role at the Complutense University of Madrid. The investigation, led by Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, examined whether Gomez leveraged her position as the Prime Minister's wife to influence authorities and secure funding for academic programs. Alongside Gomez, former official Cristina Alvarez and businessman Juan Carlos Barrabes have also been sent to trial. The defense team and the prosecutor's office have argued that the actions do not constitute crimes and have requested the case be dismissed. Prime Minister Sanchez has publicly defended his wife's integrity, dismissing the allegations as politically motivated and part of a broader campaign against his government. Gomez was informed of the decision while traveling in China with her husband. If the case proceeds to trial, it will be decided by a jury.