ON Tuesday, Pedro Sanchez will celebrate eight years since a vote of no confidence toppled Mariano Rajoy and ‘El Guapo’, as an adoring public christened him, was appointed prime minister by King Felipe.
But the celebrations are likely to be muted, as the Spanish premier battles for his political future amid an ongoing furore over alleged cases of corruption at the heart of his administration.
Sanchez has vowed to stand firm and stay in post until the next general election, set to be held in 2027, but there is no doubt that this appears to be the trickiest era of his premiership so far.
Sometimes it can seem hard to track what is going on – so here is the Olive Press whistle-stop tour of the key allegations threatening to topple Sanchez’s government.
His wife (influence peddling)
In April 2024, a Madrid court opened a criminal investigation into Sanchez’s wife, Begoña Gomez, for alleged influence peddling and corruption following a complaint lodged by Manos Limpias (‘Clean Hands’), a trade union with far-right links.
The accusation is that Gomez used her proximity to the prime minister’s office to secure a post at Madrid’s Compultense University and benefit business contacts.
In April of this year, an investigating judge in Madrid prosecuted her for crimes including embezzlement, influence peddling and misuse of public funds – despite the public prosecutor’s office concluding that the evidence did not merit a trial.
Gomez, 55, is due to appear at a preliminary hearing on June 9.
She denies any wrongdoing.
The case was explosive enough that Sanchez publicly considered stepping down two years ago after it was opened, removing himself from public duties for five days – a moment without precedent in modern Spanish political history.
He has accused the media and opposition of launching a ‘harassment and bullying operation’ against his family.
His brother (abuse of office)
The brother of the prime minister became the first relative of a sitting Spanish premier in the country’s democratic history to stand trial in a corruption case when proceedings opened earlier this month.
David Sanchez Perez-Castejon appeared before a court in Badajoz over allegations connected to his appointment to a publicly funded cultural role in Extremadura.
Prosecutors allege the position was improperly created for him in 2017 through political influence within the PSOE-controlled provincial authority.
They say Sanchez failed to meet the requirements of the position and failed to regularly show up for work.
David Sanchez denies any wrongdoing, but faces a three-year jail term if found guilty.
Santos Cerdan (the Koldo case)
At the heart of this scandal are three figures: Koldo Gacia, former close adviser to ex-transport minister Jose Luis Abalos, Abalos himself and Santos Cerdan, the PSOE’s secretary of organisation and effectively the party’s number three.
What began as a probe into pandemic-era mask procurement has ballooned into a sprawling criminal investigation at the heart of Sanchez’s government.
Garcia is accused of using his influence to secure contracts for certain companies and receiving substantial commissions in return.
Abalos, who denies wrongdoing, was expelled from the PSOE in 2024 and became the first serving congressman to be incarcerated since the Spanish transition to democracy.
Sanchez ordered Cerdan, a former key ally, to step down in 2025. He was later sent to prison.
Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero (the Plus Ultra bailout)
This month, a Spanish court launched an investigation into former prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero for alleged influence peddling in relation to the government’s rescue of the Plus Ultra airline, which in 2021 received €53 million in public money as part of Covid-19 recovery funds.
Zapatero, prime minister from 2004 to 2011, has been summoned to face allegations of criminal organisation, influence peddling and money laundering, making him the first former Spanish prime minister in democratic history to face such charges.
Anti-corruption police are investigating whether the airline used the rescue money to launder funds from Venezuela through France, Switzerland and Spain.
Investigators believe Zapatero and people close to him may have received almost €2 million in suspected irregular payments in exchange for access to senior officials.
“I’d like to reaffirm that all my public and private activity has always been conducted with absolute respect for the law,” he said last week.
The latest case has piled the pressure on Sanchez, who is close to Zapatero.
Police have also raided the PSOE headquarters in Madrid as part of a probe into allegations of a dirty tricks campaign, dubbed ‘the Socialist Watergate’ by opposition figures.
“The only choice left is to let the Spanish people have their say right now,” said conservative Partido Popular (PP) leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo earlier this week.
“Not a week, not a day, not an hour goes by without new details emerging about the mafia that governs Spain…They must be stopped and taken to court,” said Santiago Abascal, the leader of far-right Vox.
