Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez encountered a fresh legal hurdle on Wednesday, as a court agreed to investigate a probe into a possible conflict of interest surrounding his administration’s financial rescue package for Air Europa.
This decision came just a day after Spain’s Supreme Court suggested the country’s chief prosecutor — appointed by the government — may have violated judicial confidentiality in a separate matter, raising the possibility of a future trial. ALSO READ: Spain’s Attorney General moves closer to going on trial over alleged legal leaks.
It also comes amid on-going corruption inquiries involving Sánchez’s wife Begoña Gómez, his brother David Sánchez, and a former top aide, José Luis Ábalos. ALSO READ: Smear campaigns & ‘mafia practices’ – the alleged corruption saga against Spain’s PM rolls on.
The High Court in Madrid directed the Office for Conflicts of Interest within the Civil Service Ministry to examine whether Sánchez ought to have withdrawn from a cabinet session in 2020, during which the government approved a €475 million bailout for Air Europa during the Covid-19 crisis.
The investigation originates from a complaint lodged by the main opposition party, the right-wing People’s Party (PP), which claims that Globalia — the parent firm of Air Europa — was at the time backing initiatives connected to the prime minister’s wife, Gómez (main image with Sánchez).
‘Sánchez gave public funds to someone who had financially supported his wife, and his direct involvement in the bailout must be investigated,’ the PP said on Wednesday.
The court has not made any determinations regarding the truth of these accusations. However, it said that the Office for Conflicts of Interest has a legal duty to investigate the matter — regardless of whether any wrongdoing is ultimately found.
The ruling, dated 6 June, was released to the public on Wednesday.
Initially, the PP’s previous request back in March for a review was turned down by the Office, which based its decision on a report from the prime minister’s general secretariat. That report asserted that Gómez held no professional affiliation with Globalia.
But the court criticised the Office’s reliance solely on that internal report, noting there was no indication that an independent investigation had been undertaken.
Gómez has been under formal judicial scrutiny since April amid claims that she may have leveraged her husband’s position for her own professional benefit. ALSO READ: Begoña Gómez, wife of Spanish PM, denies wrongdoing in graft investigation hearing.
A judge recently decided to drop the part of that inquiry focused on her alleged links to Globalia, citing insufficient evidence.
Sánchez has repeatedly defended both his spouse and his administration, accusing right-wing and far-right factions of launching what he calls a politically motivated smear effort designed to undermine his leadership. ALSO READ: Spanish government slams ‘trumped-up’ charge against PM’s brother.
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ALSO READ: Spanish government to take legal action over PM’s leaked WhatsApp messages.
El Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Madrid avala que la Oficina de Conflictos de Intereses investigue la actuación de Pedro Sánchez sobre los negocios de su mujer.https://t.co/AXxWPfSw4q pic.twitter.com/rRLjHkl7QC
— EFE Noticias (@EFEnoticias) June 11, 2025
🔴 El TSJM ordena al Gobierno investigar el papel de Sánchez en el rescate de Air Europa por los negocios de Begoña Gómez https://t.co/Iwkp6gevYh
— Antena 3 Noticias (@A3Noticias) June 11, 2025
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