Begoña Gómez changes lawyer before the opening of the oral trial for influence peddling and embezzlement

Begoña Gómez has communicated this Wednesday to the Judge of the Provincial Court of Madrid, Juan Carlos Peinado, her decision to change the defense that represents her in the case investigating alleged crimes of influence peddling and embezzlement. From now on, Gómez will be legally represented by Jaime Campaner, as advanced by 'Cadena Ser'. 

The new lawyer has already submitted a brief to the judge requesting an extension of the deadline to study the criminal procedure and to be able to formulate the defense brief, in the case in which Begoña is accused of crimes of influence peddling and embezzlement, and which is pending oral trial. According to sources close to Gómez, "the decision has been made by mutual agreement with her lawyer until now, Antonio Camacho" for whom she feels enormous gratitude for "his dedication in defending her interests in a complex and difficult process in which his good work has been fundamental."

Who is Jaime Campaner?

The new lawyer who will assume Begoña Gómez's procedural strategy is a prominent criminal lawyer and full professor of Procedural Law with extensive experience in both the academic field and the practice of law. He holds a law degree from the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), where he was number one in his class. Subsequently, he completed a master's degree in International Economic Criminal Law at the University of Granada and obtained a doctorate in Procedural Law from the Complutense University of Madrid, where he also received the qualification of outstanding "cum laude" and the extraordinary doctorate award.

In addition, Campaner has previously assumed the defense of various public officials, both from the Popular Party and the PSOE, and has written three specialized books on legal matters with prologues signed by Supreme Court magistrates Manuel Marchena and Antonio del Moral, as well as by the late José Manuel Maza, who also became Attorney General of the State.

The Popular Prosecution has reduced its requested sentence for Begoña to 13 years in prison

Before the change of defense, the popular prosecution, coordinated by Hazte Oír, had modified the provisional conclusions brief, reducing the requested sentence for Gómez from 24 to 13 years in prison. This followed the resolution of the Provincial Court of Madrid, which reduced the number of crimes for which Gómez could stand trial.

Nevertheless, despite that reduction, the prosecution maintains the charges for a crime of influence peddling and two of embezzlement, considering that Gómez irregularly used public resources both in relation to the activity of his professorship at the Complutense University and with the work carried out by an advisor to the Presidency.

Likewise, Hazte Oír has proposed an extensive list of evidence for the future trial, such as the testimony of 118 witnesses, including the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, Minister Félix Bolaños, the rector of the Complutense University, Joaquín Goyache, businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés, and commissioner Víctor de Aldama.