Judge Peinado Orders Jury Trial for Begoña Gómez and La Moncloa Aide

Magistrate Juan Carlos Peinado, after the Audiencia Provincial de Madrid granted permission in July, issued a September decision to commence a jury trial against Begoña Gómez and her La Moncloa assistant Cristina Álvarez on influence-peddling and embezzlement allegations. The proceedings will now be forwarded to the tribunal superior, which will schedule the trial. The public prosecutor and the defence have each called for the case to be archived, whereas the popular prosecution, represented by the ultra-Catholic group Hazte Oír, is demanding a 13-year sentence for Gómez.

Peinado’s ruling concludes an investigation that began in April 2024 when he accepted a complaint from the Manos Limpias union. Testimony from Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and minister Félix Bolaños had previously led the judge to consider up to five offences, though two were later dropped by the provincial court. Gómez’s new lawyer, Jaime Campaner, argues that Hazte Oír’s indictment contains serious procedural flaws that render it legally untenable.