Spain PM Pedro Sanchez to testify as witness in wife's alleged corruption case
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Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez will be interviewed by investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado at his official residence, the Moncloa palace.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MADRID – A Spanish court on July 22 summoned Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to testify as a witness in an investigation into alleged corruption and influence peddling accusations against his wife that led him to consider resigning in April
Mr Sanchez, who runs a minority Socialist-led government, will be interviewed by investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado at his official residence, the Moncloa Palace, on July 30, the court said.
The proceedings are part of a preliminary investigation into whether Mr Sanchez's wife Begona Gomez used her position as the premier's wife to secure sponsors for a university master's degree course that she ran.
Judge Peinado said Mr Sanchez’s testimony would be “convenient, useful and relevant” for the investigation to establish whether there was influence peddling.
Under Spanish law, close relatives including spouses can refuse to answer questions, lawyer Luis Romero told Reuters.
Ms Gomez appeared before the judge on Friday but declined to answer questions as instructed by her lawyers, who said the case was “groundless”.
She has not commented publicly on the case, but Mr Sanchez has vehemently denied the accusations against her, saying they were baseless and orchestrated by right-wing political foes.
“It’s obvious that this has always been a staged case, a far-right and right-wing setup against the prime minister,” Socialist parliamentary spokesperson Patxi Lopez told reporters.
In April, the Socialist leader took a five-day break from his duties to weigh whether to resign after the court opened the investigation, but ultimately he decided to stay on.
It is the first time a sitting Spanish prime minister has been called to testify in a judicial case since Mr Mariano Rajoy was summoned as a witness in 2017 in a graft case that led to the conviction of several members of his conservative People's Party.
People’s Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo said Mr Sanchez should follow his own advice that he gave to Mr Rajoy in 2017 and resign. REUTERS
