Pedro Sánchez decides not to testify against his wife before the judge

Madrid. The Spanish Prime Minister, the socialist Pedro Sánchez, decided to exercise his right not to testify against his wife and not answer the questions of the investigating judge in the case, Juan Carlos Peinado, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the private prosecution during his appearance as a “witness” and as Begoña Gómez’s husband, in the case opened against her in which she is being investigated for the alleged crimes of influence peddling and corruption in business. The Spanish president decided a few minutes after his historic appearance to file a complaint for prevarication against Judge Peinado and did so through the State Attorney’s Office.

The Spanish judge decided to take Sánchez’s statement at La Moncloa palace, the official residence of the prime minister, making him the first Spanish president in office to be subjected to such a statement, in his case as a result of a judicial and police investigation opened against his wife following a complaint filed by the far-right union Manos Limpias.

Sánchez first tried to respond in writing, appealing to his public position, but when that condition was rejected, the questioning finally took place in his office, which lasted only a few minutes due to Sánchez’s refusal to answer the questions, as allowed by Spanish law so as not to affect the interests of his spouse or family member.

The lawyer and legal representative of Vox, Marta Castro, who was present at the interrogation, said that Sánchez avoided answering all the questions, not only those directly related to his wife: “Mr. Sánchez has exercised his right not to testify. In our opinion, this right would apply to him in the case of his wife, but in no case in relation to the other two defendants, who are the rector of the Complutense University and the businessman Carlos Barrabés,” who are also charged in the case.

Minutes after his appearance, the State Attorney’s Office filed a complaint for malfeasance against Judge Peinado, representing Sánchez, which, if successful and successful, could mean the end of Judge Peinado’s professional career, who has been accused by the majority of members of the government of conducting a process for “political purposes” and “without foundation.”