Spanish PM to step aside over inquiry into his wife

Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez said yesterday he would step back from public duties for a week to decide whether he wants to continue leading the government after a court launched a business corruption probe into his wife’s private dealings.

Mr Sanchez, who last year secured another term for his Socialist party as leader of a minority coalition government, said he would appear before the media on April 29 to announce his decision.

“I need to pause and think,” he wrote in a letter shared on his X account. “At this point, I have to ask myself: is it all worth it? I honestly don’t know... whether I should continue to lead the government or renounce this honour.”

The shock announcement came after a Spanish court said yesterday it was launching a preliminary investigation into whether Mr Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomez, committed a crime of influence peddling and corruption in business in her private dealings.

Mr Sanchez said the seriousness of the attacks against him and his wife merited a measured response. He said his wife would co-operate with the investigation and defend her innocence.

The court investigating Ms Gomez did not provide further details as the case is sealed and preliminary, only saying it followed a complaint raised by anti-corruption campaign group Manos Limpias – Clean Hands – whose leader has links to the far-right.

Manos Limpias claimed Ms Gomez used her influence as the wife of the prime minister to allegedly secure sponsors for a university master’s degree course she ran.

Mr Sanchez also took aim at opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo of the People’s Party (PP) and Santiago Abascal of the far-right Vox party, saying they had “collaborated” with those circulating the claims against his wife.

His ministers came out in support, with energy minister Teresa Ribera saying: “We have a first rate prime minister. Neither he nor his family deserve this.”

The announcement is in keeping with Mr Sanchez’s knack for keeping Spaniards on their toes. The 52-yearold, known as “El Guapo” – Mr Handsome – is a known risk-taker who has frequently defied the odds to secure or maintain power. Last year, he called a snap election after his Socialist party (PSOE) performed poorly in regional elections. After the PP won the most seats but failed to reach a majority in the July national election, he forged a deal with smaller regional parties to govern.