Spanish PM Sanchez’s brother convicted in nepotism case
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David Sanchez (centre) was accused of benefiting from an appointment tailored to him because of his family connection to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
PHOTO: AFP
- David Sanchez, brother of Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez, was convicted of administrative misconduct and banned from public office for nine years over a tailor-made 2017 cultural appointment.
- The court ruled the job was created without real need to benefit David Sanchez personally, though it dismissed influence peddling charges that could have led to prison.
- Opposition calls for PM Sanchez's resignation intensified, while government and allies defended the judicial process and described the ban as excessive.
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MADRID – David Sanchez, the brother of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, was convicted of administrative misconduct on July 14 and banned from holding public office for nine years over his appointment to a cultural post by the provincial government of Badajoz in 2017.
The ruling deals a fresh political blow to the Socialist leader, whose government and inner circle have faced corruption investigations and scandals over the past two years.
In June, a former close aide to Pedro Sanchez was sentenced to 24 years in prison in a separate corruption case.
David Sanchez was accused of benefiting from an appointment tailored to him because of his family connection to the Prime Minister, who, when the job was awarded, had just been elected leader of the Socialists when they were still in opposition.
Pedro Sanchez has dismissed the case as part of a politically motivated campaign driven by the far right.
The Badajoz court found that the position awarded to David Sanchez, overseeing the province’s music conservatories, was created without any genuine administrative need and instead served his personal interests.
“The defendants engaged in a grossly arbitrary exercise of power with the sole aim of favouring specific individuals,” the ruling said, adding that one of the posts was later modified to accommodate David Sanchez’s interest in opera.
The court dismissed the charge of influence peddling, which could have carried a prison sentence. Right-wing pressure groups had sought prison time for Sanchez, while prosecutors had requested the case be dismissed.
Sanchez denied wrongdoing during the trial. The ruling can be challenged on appeal.
Ester Munoz, spokeswoman for the opposition People’s Party, said the Spanish leader’s resignation was long overdue, arguing that although the court did not find he had influenced the hiring decision, it was too much of a coincidence that a tailor-made job had been created for his brother.
Government spokeswoman Elma Saiz told reporters that Madrid respected the judicial process and was confident higher courts would ultimately clear David Sanchez.
Gabriel Rufian, spokesman for the Catalan pro-independence party ERC and an ally of Pedro Sanchez’s minority government, described the ban as excessive. REUTERS
