Pedro Sánchez charges adversaries of carrying out a “bullying operation” against him and Begoña Gómez, his spouse.
Pedro Sánchez, the socialist prime minister of Spain, abruptly declared on Wednesday night that he was thinking about retiring from office and was going to cancel his official duties for the remainder of the week. On Monday, he promised to make his decision public.
Why Was the Shocking News Made?
Sánchez claimed that despite the fact that Spanish politics have grown more divisive, personal, and acrimonious in recent years, he was forced to reevaluate his stance due to what he described as a “harassment and bullying operation” carried out by political rivals and antagonistic right- and far-right-leaning media outlets against him and his spouse.
The declaration was made just hours after a Madrid court declared that it had initiated an inquiry into Begoña Gómez, Sánchez’s spouse, “for the purported offense of influence peddling and corruption”. A complaint from the pressure group Manos Limpias (Clean Hands) prompted the investigation.
Manos Limpias is Who?
The organization is led by Miguel Bernad, a lawyer who has ties to the far-right in Spain, and bills itself as an independent national trade union dedicated to “bringing about the independence of the judiciary and the true and real democratization of our institutions.” A conspiracy to extort large corporations led to Bernad’s four-year prison sentence in 2021; however, because to a dearth of evidence, the Supreme Court cleared her last month.
Manos Limpias has a lengthy history of taking legal action against those it believes are behaving against what it views as Spain’s democratic values. According to Spanish law, persons and organizations can file criminal charges with a judge via a process called the acusación popular (people’s accusation). The judge will then review the accusations and determine whether to move forward or not.
Which Accusations Form the Basis of the Complaint?
Manos Limpias has charged Gómez with obtaining funding for a master’s program she oversaw at a university by abusing her position as the prime minister’s wife.
Although the court has not yet released any information, it made this announcement soon after El Confidencial, an online news source, reported that investigators were looking into Gómez’s connections to a number of private businesses that have either obtained public contracts or received government support.
According to the website, Gómez’s purported connections to Globalia, the Spanish travel company that operates the airline Air Europa, are the reason for the probe.
It claimed that she had met Globalia CEO Javier Hidalgo twice during the airline’s negotiations with the government to obtain a sizable bailout after it suffered greatly from the lack of air traffic brought on by the Covid-19 issue.
Gómez was in charge of the IE Africa Center at the time, a foundation connected to the Instituto de Empresa (IE) business school in Madrid; she departed the role in 2022.
Manos Limpias was more circumspect regarding the claims that had served as the foundation for its complaint in a statement that was made public on Thursday morning. The group claimed to have discovered information “that outlined alleged irregularities that could allegedly be criminal” through a variety of digital periodicals. It claimed it had used its right to bring the case before a court, who would have the most expertise in judging the veracity of the media stories.
The prosecution in Madrid said on Thursday that it had asked for the case to be dismissed.
What has Been Said About the Parties Involved?
In a statement, IE stated that Globalia and its affiliated businesses had never given it any financial help.
A complaint filed by the conservative opposition People’s Party (PP) in March was dismissed by Spain’s conflict of interest watchdog because it suggested a connection between Sánchez’s wife’s “economic and professional ties” and the government bailout of Air Europa.
The aid from the Spanish government, according to a joint statement released at the time by Globalia and Air Europa, was “in line with the parameters of other aid received by different companies in the sector in Spain and the rest of Europe” and the companies saw themselves as victims of “political crossfire.”
Sánchez has Said What?
In an attempt to bring about his “personal and political collapse by attacking [his] wife,” the prime minister has accused the PP and the far-right Vox party of working together with Manos Limpias and right-wing and far-right media outlets to conduct a baseless “harassment and bullying operation by land, air, and sea.”
“As is only logical, Begoña will defend her honor and will cooperate with the justice system as much as is necessary to clear up facts that are as scandalous in appearance as they are nonexistent,” he continued in his statement made on Wednesday night.
The same day, the prime minister stated in parliament that he continued to have faith in the Spanish legal system “despite everything.”
What Comes Next?
That will rely on Sánchez’s decision-making over the coming days. His supporters are urging him to hold onto office. He can put himself up for a vote of confidence to support his leadership if he so desires. In the event that he decides to step down, parliament may elect a new prime minister; if not, an early election may be scheduled in July.
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