The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has reacted cautiously to the decision of judge Juan Carlos Peinado to prosecute his wife, Begoña Gómez, for four alleged crimes, assuring that he has nothing to say. “As I am convinced that time will put everything and everyone in their place, I have nothing more to say,” affirmed the head of the Executive.
Sánchez made these statements from China, where he is on an official trip, after the judicial order attributing to Gómez crimes of influence peddling, business corruption, embezzlement, and misappropriation became known. Asked if he believes his wife could sit in the dock, the president insisted on his usual position: “What I ask of justice is that it do justice”.
The head of the Executive also avoided commenting on the criticisms launched from the Government itself against the investigating magistrate. To questions from journalists, he reiterated that he had already set his position and declined to enter into additional assessments about the judicial process.
More forceful was the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños, who assured that the judicial decision “has shamed many citizens” and also “many judges and magistrates”. In his opinion, “the damage that has been done to the good name of justice is a damage that surely in many aspects will be irreparable”.
Bolaños expressed, however, his “absolute confidence” that higher instances will review the decision: “An impartial and independent higher court will revoke the decision”. Along the same lines, he defended that “in this case where there is nothing, no matter how much it is stirred up, nothing can be established”.
These statements provoked a quick reaction from the Popular Party. The Deputy Secretary of Institutional Regeneration, Cuca Gamarra, called for the minister's resignation, considering that his words represent “undermining the rule of law” and constitute a “new harassment of judges”.
