Spain's prime minister is considering resignation, wife suspected of corruption

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez dismissed claims that his wife is involved in corruption, but said she is considering the opportunity to resign.

This development came after the launch of investigations Wednesday over allegations made on a right-wing legal platform that Prime Minister Sanchez's wife had used her position to influence certain business deals.

Prime Minister Sanchez turned out in a post on the social X network, that although the charges against his wife, Begona Gomez, are false, he was cancelling public commitments by Monday, when he will announce whether he will continue to stay in the prime minister's position or resign.

I have to stop and reflect,” Mr. Sanchez wrote. I have to answer the question of whether it's worth continuing, considering that hard-line right hand and right have turned our policy, whether I should continue at the head of the government or give up the highest honour. ”

Mr. Sanchez, 52, has served as prime minister of Spain since 2018. He managed to form a left-wing coalition government in November to start a new four-year term. He is one of the Socialist leaders who has stayed the longest in power in Europe.

A Spanish judge agreed on Wednesday to investigate corruption allegations filed by a private group that has a long history of presenting indictments, mainly related to right-wing causes. The court in Madrid will review the charges and decide to continue investigating or not.

“Begona will defend its honour and co-operate with the justice system in any form required to clarify that these seemingly scandalous facts do not actually exist,” declared Prime Minister Sanchez.

Mrs. Gomez, 49, has no public office and maintains a low political profile.

The Manos Limmias Group, or “Clean hands”, accuses Mrs. Gomez of allegedly exploiting her position to influence business deals. The court has not provided additional information and stressed that the investigation is classified.

This group describes itself as a union, but its main activity is a platform that promotes legal cases. Many associate it with right-wing causes. The group acts on the basis of “popular persecution”, a specific law of Spain that allows individuals and entities to participate in separate criminal cases even when they have not been directly damaged by the accused side.

Justice Minister Felix Bolanos called the claims “false. ”

Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz publicly supported Mr. Sanchez against “quity offensive from right”, as she put it.

The odds of a government crisis come just weeks before important regional elections in Catalonia, after which European elections will be held in June.

Prime Minister Sanchez accused the news portals, which are politically lined up with the main conservative opposition party, the People's Party and the right-wing Vox party, of distributing them, which he called false “ ”, which led to the launch of investigations.

The People's Party characterised Mr. Sanchez that “is playing the victim's role instead of taking responsibility. ”

Last month, the Spanish government agency investigating the issues of conflict of interest rejected a complaint filed by the People's Party against Mr. Sanchez, in which this opposition party claimed Mrs. Gomez had influenced her husband in a decision linking an airline.

The leader of Spain said that love for his wife moved him to reflect on his future.

This attack is so unprecedented, so serious and rude that I have to stop and reflect with my wife”, he said. We forget most politicians are people. And I'm not ashamed to say that I'm a man who loves my wife very much, who's living with the feeling of powerlessness while she's thrown away. ”

To sum up, it's about an operation to hit me from the ground, sea and air to force me to give up politics through attacks on my wife,” wrote Mr. Sanchez. /VOA