Court Bars Sanchez's Wife From Leaving Spain, Seizes Passport

A Madrid investigating judge, Juan Carlos Peinado, on Friday, June 20, ordered Begona Gomez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, to surrender her passport and barred her from leaving Spain until her corruption trial concludes. The measure carries weight even for observers in Belgrade, because it shows how deeply a judicial process can reach into the inner circle of a government that remains one of Serbia’s key interlocutors on its European path, particularly on the question of Kosovo’s non-recognition.

The judge also required Gomez to report to the court in person twice a month, placing her movements under the regular control of the investigation. The decision came shortly after the case was sent to trial, meaning the proceedings are entering a decisive phase, even though the exact start date of the main hearing has not yet been fixed.

What exactly does the judge accuse the prime minister’s wife of?

Begona Gomez faces several charges, among them embezzlement, influence peddling and misuse of funds. Prosecutors and the investigating judge have spent months examining her business and academic activities, including the role she played in private and educational projects while her husband led the government. The surrender of her travel document and the ban on leaving the country were imposed as measures to secure her appearance before the court, not as a verdict on guilt, which has yet to be reached.

For Sanchez’s government, already grappling with a series of investigations within its own ranks, this is another blow at a moment when the Socialists are trying to hold on to their parliamentary majority. The Spanish right, led by the People’s Party and the Vox party, is already reading the case as proof that the prime minister has lost the moral credibility to govern, while Sanchez’s allies insist it amounts to politically motivated persecution through the courts.

Reactions from Brussels remain restrained for now. The European Commission traditionally avoids commenting on ongoing national court proceedings, and the EU High Representative has not spoken on this internal Spanish matter. Still, European diplomatic offices are watching closely for any sign of instability in Madrid, since Spain leads numerous initiatives within the Union and has a pronounced voice in enlargement policy toward the Western Balkans.

Why does this case matter to Serbia as well?

The stability of the government in Madrid is no abstract question for the region. Spain is one of five European Union members that do not recognise Kosovo’s independence, so any political crisis that could shift the balance of power in Madrid carries indirect consequences for that position. If Sanchez’s government were pushed toward early elections, it would raise the question of how far a future administration would keep the same course on issues that are sensitive for Belgrade.

The proceedings against Begona Gomez are at the same time a test for the Spanish judiciary, which must show that it treats the prime minister’s wife the same as any other defendant. In a country where trust in institutions has already been shaken by a string of scandals, the outcome of this case will shape perceptions of the rule of law well beyond Spain’s borders.

For now one question will define the coming weeks: will the trial of the prime minister’s wife accelerate a political crisis in Madrid, or will Sanchez manage to keep his government together despite the pressure coming from the courtroom?