Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s brother, David Sánchez (right, main image), has been barred from holding public office for nine years after a court found that a senior cultural position in the western province of Badajoz (Extremadura) had been unlawfully created to benefit him.
The Badajoz provincial court convicted David Sánchez of administrative misconduct, concluding that he had acted as a necessary accomplice in the illegal creation of a public-sector role designed specifically for him. However, judges cleared him of influence peddling, an offence that could have resulted in a prison sentence. ALSO READ: Court drops one charge against Spanish PM’s brother in influence-peddling trial.
The ruling, which can be appealed before the High Court of Justice of Extremadura, represents the latest political setback for the socialist (PSOE) prime minister, whose government and several close associates have faced a succession of corruption investigations over the past two years. ALSO READ: Pedro Sánchez rejects claims of ‘widespread corruption’ amid growing pressure on government.
David Sánchez, a composer and orchestra conductor who has trained and worked in Saint Petersburg, Toulouse, Tokyo and Madrid, was accused of benefiting from a tailor-made appointment as coordinator of music conservatories in Badajoz.
The position was created in 2017 – after Pedro Sánchez became leader of Spain’s Socialist Party but before he became prime minister in 2018 – and was later transformed into the head of the province’s Performing Arts Office. He remained in the role until at least early 2025. ALSO READ: Spanish PM’s brother David Sánchez quits state role after judge suggests it was ‘created for him’.
In its judgment, the court ruled that the position was ‘neither necessary nor urgent’ and had instead been established ‘to serve the private interest of its recipient and not the public interest’.
The judges added that: ‘Such unethical practices harm democratic institutions and foster corruption and unequal opportunities.’
They also concluded that: ‘The defendants engaged in a grossly arbitrary exercise of power with the sole aim of favouring specific individuals,’ adding that the post was later modified to accommodate David Sánchez’s interest in opera.
The highly politicised case, known as the ‘Azagra case’, centred on three key allegations: David Sánchez’s original appointment in 2017; the renaming of his position in 2023 to Head of the Performing Arts Office without an open public recruitment process; and the later hiring of his close friend, Luis Carrero, between 2023 and 2024.
During the investigation, leaked emails between Sánchez and Carrero – who had previously worked as an adviser at the Moncloa prime ministerial palace before joining the Badajoz provincial council – showed the pair referring to each other as ‘hermanito’ (‘little brother’).
The trial, which ran from 28 May to 9 June, followed a criminal complaint filed in May 2024 by the right-wing pressure group Manos Limpias. Six additional private prosecution groups later joined the case, including Spain’s main opposition People’s Party (PP) and the far-right Vox party. ALSO READ: Spanish government slams ‘trumped-up’ charge against PM’s brother.
Although state prosecutors argued that all defendants should be acquitted, private prosecutors sought prison sentences of up to six years for David Sánchez.
Among the 53 witnesses who testified, two were considered particularly significant by the judges. Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Balas, from the Guardia Civil’s elite Central Operational Unit (UCO), told the court that investigators found clear evidence that the post had been specifically tailored for David Sánchez by Miguel Ángel Gallardo (left, main image) then president of the Badajoz provincial council.
Orchestral conductor Cristina de Frutos also testified that the recruitment process had been a sham, telling the court that ‘equal opportunities were not respected’ and that she had not been asked a single question during the interview process that ultimately selected the prime minister’s brother.
The court imposed an 18-year ban from public office on Gallardo, convicting him on two counts of administrative misconduct. David Sánchez and nine other defendants, including current provincial deputy for culture Ricardo Cabezas, two former holders of the same post and four senior administrative officials, each received nine-year bans after being found guilty of a single count of the same offence. The court ruled they had acted as indispensable accomplices by facilitating the unlawful appointment.
Should the ruling be upheld on appeal, the career civil servants convicted in the case would permanently lose their public-sector employment.
David Sánchez denied any wrongdoing throughout the proceedings.
The case has intensified pressure on Pedro Sánchez’s minority left-wing coalition, which has already been weakened by a series of investigations involving people close to the prime minister.
Last month, his former close ally and transport minister José Luis Ábalos was sentenced to 24 years in prison in a separate corruption case. Pedro Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, also remains under investigation over alleged influence peddling, while former socialist prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero , a political ally of Sánchez, has also been placed under investigation over alleged influence peddling linked to kickbacks.
Pedro Sánchez has repeatedly dismissed the case involving his brother as part of what he describes as a politically motivated campaign driven by the far right. ALSO READ: Poll finds most Spaniards believe ‘lawfare’ exists amid deepening trust crisis in justice.
Following Tuesday’s ruling, PP spokesperson Ester Muñoz argued that the prime minister’s resignation was long overdue. While acknowledging that the court had not found Pedro Sánchez personally influenced the appointment, she said it was too much of a coincidence that a tailor-made public position had been created for his brother.
Government spokesperson Elma Saiz said the government respected the judicial process and remained confident that higher courts would ultimately clear David Sánchez.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Rufián, spokesperson for the Catalan pro-independence party ERC, which supports Sánchez’s minority government in parliament, described the nine-year ban from public office as excessive.
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ÚLTIMA HORA 🔴
— RTVE Noticias (@rtvenoticias) July 14, 2026
David Sánchez, hermano del presidente del Gobierno, condenado junto a Miguel Ángel Gallardo a 9 años de inhabilitación por su contratación en la Diputación de Badajoz https://t.co/oDjyczL6BV pic.twitter.com/WS6oS6xNW2
David Sánchez, Miguel Ángel Gallardo y los técnicos son inocentes y cuentan con todo el apoyo del Partido Socialista. Respetamos la sentencia, pero discrepamos de ella.
— PSOE (@PSOE) July 14, 2026
Este caso forma parte de una estrategia para desgastar a un Gobierno progresista por cualquier medio. pic.twitter.com/p5LQS5vDx7
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