SPANISH prime minister Pedro Sanchez is facing a fresh political setback after his brother was found guilty of administrative misconduct.
Professional musician David Sanchez, 52, was slapped with a nine-year ban from public office after a court in Badajoz, Extremadura, found he had been unlawfully appointed to a senior cultural post within the provincial administration.
The conviction deals a fresh blow to the Socialist PSOE premier, whose government and inner circle have been rocked by a series of corruption-related scandals over the past two years.
Spain’s Transport Minister, Oscar Puente, blasted the ruling as politically motivated, arguing it had ‘the sole purpose of bringing down the government, given the inability to do so at the ballot box.’
Right-wing Partido Popular (PP) spokesperson Ester Muñoz, however, welcomed the decision, saying: ‘Today is a historic day. In any country, this would bring down a government.’
The prime minister has yet to comment on the ruling.
David Sanchez was convicted over his appointment as head of the Badajoz Performing Arts Office, a position prosecutors argued had been created specifically for him thanks to his connection to the prime minister.
Prosecutors claimed the 2017 appointment followed sustained pressure on the Badajoz provincial administration from ‘several people,’ although the court stressed that this allegation had not been proven.
The post carried an annual salary of €55,000.
Nine other defendants received the same nine-year ban as David Sanchez, while a tenth, former Extremadura PSOE leader Miguel Angel Gallardo, was handed an 18-year ban from public office.
The court found that they had all played a role in the process that led to David Sanchez’s unlawful appointment.
The ruling is expected to intensify pressure on Pedro Sanchez after several people close to him became embroiled in political scandals in recent years.
The prime minister’s wife, Begoña Gomez, has been formally charged with several offences, including influence peddling, corruption in business, embezzlement of public funds and misappropriation — all of which she denies.
She is accused of using her position as the prime minister’s wife to benefit businessman Juan Carlos Barrabes and of improperly using public resources connected to her university activities.
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Gomez has been ordered to stand trial, although the Madrid Provincial Court is currently reviewing key appeals that could alter or overturn parts of the investigating judge’s decisions before proceedings begin.
Separately, Pedro Sánchez’s former right-hand man, Jose Luis Abalos, was sentenced last month to 24 years in prison for accepting bribes linked to public procurement contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pedro Sanchez himself has never been charged in any of the cases and denies any wrongdoing.
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