A Provincial Court in Badajoz (Extremadura) confirmed on Tuesday that there was ‘sufficient evidence’ to bring David Sánchez – the brother of Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez – to trial.
The court has dismissed David Sánchez’s appeal against the indictment announced back in May. ALSO READ: Brother of Spanish prime minister to face trial for alleged influence peddling.
‘In our case, there is sufficient evidence, as set forth in the appealed ruling, regarding the alleged criminal nature of the alleged conduct, and therefore, the procedure must continue,’ the court ruling stated. The Provincial Court Prosecutor’s Office had requested the dismissal of the case, finding no crime and considering it to be based on ‘conjecture’. An official trial date has still not been set.
The accusations against him are centred on alleged misconduct during his tenure as the region’s head of performing arts, including alleged irregularities in the creation of a governmental job for him.
David Sánchez has denied any wrongdoing. The Spanish prime minister has also publicly defended his brother’s innocence.
David Sánchez will face trial for alleged malfeasance and influence peddling alongside 10 others, including Extremadura’s socialist (PSOE) leader Miguel Ángel Gallardo, accused of creating a public post for the brother of the prime minister ‘ad hoc’ at the local council of Badajoz.
David Sánchez, a trained classical musician, has been under investigation since May 2024 following a complaint from the far-right group Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), which also accused him of living in Portugal to avoid Spanish taxes and neglecting his duties at Badajoz Provincial Council.
The wife of PM Sánchez, Begoña Gómez, has also been the subject of an investigation since April last year, accused of corruption and influence peddling linked to her previous work at Madrid’s Complutense University. ALSO READ: Begoña Gómez, wife of Spain’s PM, denies embezzlement in new court hearing.
The prime minister, who has led Spain since 2018, has dismissed the probes into his family as unfounded and politically motivated, saying they originated from far-right complaints.
Earlier this month he declared there were ‘judges who do politics and politicians who try to do justice’, condemning what he described as unfounded complaints from groups with far-right links. ALSO READ: Pedro Sánchez: ‘There are judges doing politics and politicians trying to do justice’.
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La Audiencia de Badajoz confirma el procesamiento del hermano de Sánchez y lo deja a un paso del banquillo
— Telediarios de TVE (@telediario_tve) September 23, 2025
Informa @JudithFCapuz
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