Judges Doing Politics: Can Spain’s PM Weather Corruption Storm?

By Staff, Agencies

Despite 18 months of relentless corruption allegations targeting his wife, brother, party, attorney general, and government, Spain’s socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has managed to maintain his sense of humor.

During a heated parliament session, opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo accused Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of enabling corruption, calling him “neither decent nor worthy.” Sanchez calmly replied with just two words: “Animo, Alberto”— “Chin up, Alberto.”

The prime minister’s retort would appear to have been carefully chosen to remind Feijoo’s party of its own problems.

Seven years ago, Sanchez rose to power through a no-confidence vote that ousted Mariano Rajoy’s scandal-plagued PP government, accusing it of turning Spanish politics into a “corruption thriller.”

In a series of leaked text messages, Rajoy told his close ally, the former PP treasurer Luis Barcenas, to “be strong” and to keep his chin up as the net closed around him – hence the “Animo, Alberto” dig.

In 2018, former PP treasurer Luis Barcenas was jailed for 33 years over fraud, and the party was found guilty of profiting from kickbacks — a week later, Sanchez became prime minister.

Sanchez insists he has fought corruption, calling the cases against his family politically motivated attacks by right-wing opponents.

More controversially, he has also questioned the judiciary’s independence, saying “there’s no doubt that there are judges doing politics and there are politicians trying to do justice.”

The claim faced a test Monday as Spain’s attorney general, Alvaro Garcia Ortiz, went on trial for allegedly leaking confidential information.

Garcia Ortiz, who pleaded not guilty, is accused of leaking a tax fraud case involving businessman Alberto Gonzalez Amador, friend of PP Madrid leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso.

The two-week trial will hear from 40 witnesses, including prosecutors, press officers, journalists, police officers, politicians, lawyers and Amador himself.

While Garcia Ortiz’s trial is unprecedented for a sitting attorney general, the most high-profile allegations target Sanchez’s wife.

In April last year, Sanchez paused his public duties amid a court probe into his wife Begona Gomez for alleged influence-peddling.

The probe was sparked by a complaint from Manos Limpias, a far-right-linked union known for targeting those it views as threats to Spain’s democracy.

Gomez is accused of leveraging her role as the prime minister’s wife to secure sponsors for her master’s program and using state funds to pay her assistant for personal tasks.

Sanchez’s brother David is under investigation for alleged influence-peddling, accused of receiving a special job in Badajoz in 2017 while Sanchez led the Spanish Socialist Workers’ party [PSOE].

Gomez and David Sanchez deny any wrongdoing, with the prime minister insisting his family is facing a “harassment and bullying operation” and has committed no offenses.

“The truth will come out in the end,” he said in September. “My brother and my wife are innocent.”

Sanchez faces more judicial pressure after his top aide, PSOE secretary Santos Cerdan, resigned in June over “firm evidence” of kickbacks, a case linked to ex-minister Jose Luis Abalos and aide Koldo Garcia.

Abalos and Garcia, linked to Covid-era bribery claims, denied wrongdoing; Abalos was ousted from cabinet in 2021 and suspended by PSOE in 2022.

The Cerdan probe hit Sanchez hard, leaving him visibly shaken as he apologized to voters and PSOE supporters, while ruling out a snap election.

“We acted firmly and now it will be up to the judicial authorities to establish Mr Cerdan’s responsibility,” he said at the time.

Last Thursday, Sanchez dismissed the senate probe into the “Koldo case” as a “circus” and defended his government, insisting PSOE finances are “absolutely clean” with no “systemic corruption.”

While Sanchez’s opponents may expect blunt political rhetoric, many Spanish judges have bristled at his attacks on their impartiality.

Alejandro Gonzalez Mariscal de Gante, of the conservative judges’ group, rejected “lawfare” claims, stressing judges’ independence despite political pressures.

“We’re not governed by politics; we investigate and judge independently, despite pressures or who’s in government,” he said.

Progressive Judges for Democracy [JJpD] said some cases were clearly partisan, though such comments shouldn’t come from the prime minister.

JJpD spokesperson Edmundo Rodríguez said the group condemns the judicialization of politics and urges courts to act vigorously to prevent it.

Despite mounting legal troubles, Sanchez says he remains focused on governing, though his minority coalition faces challenges after Junts withdrew support over unmet promises.

A recent poll shows PSOE leading with 34.8%, 15 points ahead of the PP, hinting at a possible rebound amid Sánchez’s legal woes.

Much, however, will depend on what reaches court – and what comes out in court – over the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, Sanchez is, as usual, trying to battle on.

“Of course these scandals were difficult to accept, but the political project is broader,” Sanchez said, stressing that the country’s seven-year course remains the right one.