The wife of Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, Begoña Gómez, will stand trial on charges of influence peddling and embezzlement of public funds. Investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado on Monday issued a ruling committing the case for trial.
The decision followed the Madrid provincial court's authorization in July to proceed with the case. Along with Gómez, her assistant Cristina Álvarez, who worked at the La Moncloa residence, will also stand trial.
The charges concern Gómez's use of her connections to advance her career and her co-directing of a program at the Complutense University of Madrid. According to the investigation, she enlisted state resources and government employees for private interests.
Gómez denies all the charges. The prosecutor's office also believes that no crime has been established and is seeking an acquittal. At the same time, the ultra-Catholic organization Hazte Oír, acting as a private prosecutor, is seeking 13 years in prison for Gómez.
The case will now go to a higher court, which will set a date for the hearings. The exact start date of the trial has not yet been determined, but it is expected to take place no earlier than next year.
This is not the only problem for Sánchez's government: in recent months, other figures close to him have also come under investigation. How will these proceedings affect the country's political situation?
Sánchez has previously defended his wife, calling the investigation politically motivated. The court proceedings add tension to an already difficult year for the Socialists.
