Spanish Premier Sanchez’s Wife Must Stand Trial on Corruption Charges, Judge Rules

The wife of Spanish Socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez must stand trial on corruption charges and has been banned from going abroad, a judge ruled on Saturday. Begoña Gomez is suspected of using her position as the prime minister’s wife to secure work contracts. She denies any wrongdoing. The case was brought by far-right groups who oppose Sanchez’s party. Investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado ordered Gomez to surrender her passport, barred her from leaving Spain and required her to report to court twice a month. The case is one of several corruption probes nearing or already at trial that are weighing on Sanchez, one of Europe’s few remaining leftist leaders. He has not been named in any of the cases and has said they are part of a campaign to remove him from office.