Can Begona Gomez get a fair trial in Spain?

Begona Gomez, the wife of Spain’s Socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez, has received a court summons for 5 July, in connection with a corruption probe into her business activities. The summons follows the launch of a preliminary investigation into Gomez back in April, and relates to ‘the alleged offences of corruption in the private sector and influence peddling’, according to the court. Sanchez took several days off when the inquiry was launched at the end of April, apparently to consider resigning – a stunt that disappointingly resulted in him deciding to stay on. 

Coming as it does just before EU elections this Sunday, the timing of the latest development is perfect for Sanchez, who has branded the investigation against his wife as a personal attack orchestrated by his political opponents. ‘What we have here’ said the government’s education minister and spokesperson Pilar Alegria on Tuesday, ‘is a mudslinging campaign by the right and far-right’.