The judge Juan Carlos Peinado, in charge of the investigation into Begoña Gómez, has summoned the parties this Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. to inform them of his intention to orient the case towards a possible trial with a popular jury if it finally reaches that phase.
The magistrate is investigating the wife of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, for alleged crimes of influence peddling, business corruption, improper appropriation of a brand, intrusion, and embezzlement. In an order dated March 20, he already pointed out that “it has been possible to verify up to the present moment of the investigation the concurrence of indications of the elements of the crimes that are within the jurisdiction of the jury court”.
It is not the first time this path has been considered. In February, the Provincial Court of Madrid stopped the instructor's intention to direct the case towards a popular jury, after upholding an appeal by the defense. Then, the magistrates considered that there were no sufficient “rational indications of criminality” to justify that step.
In his new brief, Peinado maintains that Gómez “would have been taking advantage of her proximity to the Prime Minister” to “boost her professional projection” at the Complutense University of Madrid, achieving —as he points out— a direct dialogue with center officials, sponsoring companies, and technological entities.
Likewise, the judge underlines that her relationship with Sánchez “influences the conduct of any citizen” due to the “power that her husband has to determine decision-making”.
