Judges tell Spain's PM to respect their investigation into his wife
The body governing Spain's judges has urged Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to respect court decisions after he criticised a summons for his wife to testify in a corruption probe.
A Madrid court last week called Begoña Gómez to testify on July 5th "as an investigated party", as part of a preliminary investigation over suspected influence peddling and corruption.
The investigation began in April following a complaint against her filed by an anti-graft NGO linked to the far right.
READ ALSO: Who is Begoña Gómez? Spanish PM's partner thrust into spotlight
The summons came just six days before Spain voted in the EU elections, prompting Sánchez to denounce the timing as "strange" in a letter on X, saying the courts were normally careful not to issue such statements so close to a vote for fear of influencing the outcome.
He also said there was no basis for the probe, calling it a "crude set-up promoted by far-right associations".
Spain's General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) which is responsible for naming judges and ensuring the independence of both courts and judges, on Monday criticised Sánchez for making "a political assessment about the actions of an investigating judge".
"Judicial decisions may be subject to moderate and rational criticism by those who disagree with them" but they "deserve the utmost respect by all and, in a particularly qualified manner by those who are at the head of the institutions, without any exception whatsoever," it said in a statement.
"We once again call for restraint and to avoid any kind of judgement of intentions, which only contributes to the deterioration.. of constitutional democracy."
Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), which filed the lawsuit against Sánchez's wife, has admitted its complaint was based on media reports.
It has previously filed a litany of unsuccessful lawsuits against politicians.
The case concerns letters of support she allegedly provided for a joint venture bidding for several public contracts worth €10.2 million ($11.1 million).
Although it did not represent the cheapest bid, the joint venture received top marks in the sections on subjective appraisal, beating all its competitors in the final accounting.
READ ALSO: Spain-Argentina spat rages on after Milei calls Sánchez's wife 'corrupt'
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A Madrid court last week called Begoña Gómez to testify on July 5th "as an investigated party", as part of a preliminary investigation over suspected influence peddling and corruption.
The investigation began in April following a complaint against her filed by an anti-graft NGO linked to the far right.
READ ALSO: Who is Begoña Gómez? Spanish PM's partner thrust into spotlight
The summons came just six days before Spain voted in the EU elections, prompting Sánchez to denounce the timing as "strange" in a letter on X, saying the courts were normally careful not to issue such statements so close to a vote for fear of influencing the outcome.
He also said there was no basis for the probe, calling it a "crude set-up promoted by far-right associations".
Spain's General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) which is responsible for naming judges and ensuring the independence of both courts and judges, on Monday criticised Sánchez for making "a political assessment about the actions of an investigating judge".
"Judicial decisions may be subject to moderate and rational criticism by those who disagree with them" but they "deserve the utmost respect by all and, in a particularly qualified manner by those who are at the head of the institutions, without any exception whatsoever," it said in a statement.
"We once again call for restraint and to avoid any kind of judgement of intentions, which only contributes to the deterioration.. of constitutional democracy."
Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), which filed the lawsuit against Sánchez's wife, has admitted its complaint was based on media reports.
It has previously filed a litany of unsuccessful lawsuits against politicians.
The case concerns letters of support she allegedly provided for a joint venture bidding for several public contracts worth €10.2 million ($11.1 million).
Although it did not represent the cheapest bid, the joint venture received top marks in the sections on subjective appraisal, beating all its competitors in the final accounting.
READ ALSO: Spain-Argentina spat rages on after Milei calls Sánchez's wife 'corrupt'
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