The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is considering whether to resign after his wife, Begona Gomez, was investigated for corruption and influence peddling crimes. The investigation is linked to alleged links that Gomez had with a Spanish tourism group Globalia, which owns Air Europa. The prime minister met twice with Javier Hidalgo, Globalia’s CEO at the time, when the carrier was in talks with the government for a huge bailout following the collapse of air traffic due to the Covid-19 crisis. In particular, Gomez would have met privately with Javier Hidalgo before the Sanchez government granted the Hidalgo family’s airline, Air Europa, a bailout of 475 million euros.
In an open letter to citizens, Sánchez regretted the “unprecedented” attack on his wife and questioned whether it was worth continuing as prime minister. He added that he needed to “stop and think” with his wife about whether it was worth continuing in power or resigning from this high honor. Sánchez stated that he is not naive and knows well that they accuse Begona not because she has done something illegal but because she is his wife.
Manos Limpias, a controversial organization led by Miguel Bernad, gained notoriety for its complaints on political issues. A government source told El Pais that Manos Limpias’ complaint is based on hoaxes and false news and lacks any legal basis and responds to a strategy of the right and far right. The controversy comes at a time of strong polarization in Spanish politics in which tensions have increasingly increased after the July elections: despite the narrow result, Sanchez managed to maintain power but accepted an amnesty agreement in favor of Catalan independentists in exchange for their votes.
