Details emerge on the citizen jury selected for Begoña Gómez's trial
A popular jury of nine citizens will hear the case against Begoña Gómez and her aide, following a court decision to try them for influence-peddling and embezzlement.
The Madrid Provincial Court confirmed that Begoña Gómez and her Moncloa adviser will be tried before a popular jury, in line with the instruction of the case judge. The jury system, rooted in the Constitution, requires members to be Spanish citizens of voting age who are literate and free of disqualifying convictions or active roles in the government, judiciary, security forces, or academia. A sizable list of eligible citizens is drawn every two years, from which a smaller group is selected for questionnaire screening; after further vetting by the parties, nine jurors and two substitutes are chosen. The selected jurors will remain isolated from external influence from the moment they receive the case file until a verdict is reached, and they will receive a daily stipend plus meals for the duration of the trial.
Why it matters
The case tests Spain's popular jury system and could set precedents for high-profile corruption trials.
In this story
Related stories
9 in this thread