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A Spanish court has ordered Begona Gomez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, to stand trial by jury on corruption-related charges and barred her from leaving the country, according to a court order released Saturday.
Judge Juan Carlos Peinado ordered Gomez to surrender her passport and appear before the court twice a month until a verdict is reached.
The ruling also instructed authorities to enforce the travel ban.
"The necessary instructions shall be issued to all border posts and civilian and military airports" to ensure Gomez does not leave Spain, the court said.
No date has yet been set for the trial.
Peinado formally charged Gomez in April with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds.
The investigation, launched in April 2024, seeks to determine whether Gomez used her position as the prime minister's wife to obtain private benefits, allegations she and Sanchez have repeatedly denied.
The case focuses on the creation and management of a chair at Madrid's Complutense University that Gomez co-directed, as well as allegations that public resources and personal connections were used to advance private interests.
Gomez has consistently rejected the accusations and maintains she committed no wrongdoing.
Sanchez has described the investigation as a politically motivated campaign aimed at destabilizing his government.
The Spanish prime minister has accused conservative and far-right forces of using the courts to target his family, while opposition parties have seized on the case to demand his resignation.
The investigation originated from a complaint filed by an anti-corruption group that Spanish media have reported has links to the far right.
The case is one of several corruption investigations involving Sanchez's family members and former political allies, increasing pressure on his minority coalition government as it seeks to maintain parliamentary support.
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