Spain’s Prime Minister is beginning to feel the heat. No sooner has his brother been sentenced to four years’ imprisonment than his wife, Begoña Gómez, is due to appear in court on financial crime charges.

The decision, handed down by a court on Thursday, is another setback for the Spanish government, which has been the subject of corruption investigations and scandals for several months.

Gómez describes the indictment as unfounded, and her defence lawyers have appealed, asking the Supreme Court to dismiss the charges and overturn the orders issued by a lower court last month.

NTB goes so far as to write that the case is based on allegations brought by “far-right” groups. This serves to delegitimise the indictment because it comes from the “wrong” group. NTB never writes anything similar about indictments brought forward by the political left.

A Spanish public prosecutor has also requested that the case be dismissed. It is based on a complaint by groups on the far-right alleging that she abused her position as the Prime Minister’s spouse to secure public contracts.

Pedro Sánchez also rejects the allegations as unfounded, saying they are politically motivated and brought by opponents of him and his government.

Earlier this week, the Prime Minister’s brother, David Sánchez, was found guilty of abusing his public office and was barred from holding public office for nine years. (NTB)

Sánchez heads a minority government based on cooperation with Catalan separatists. He granted amnesty to those who sought Catalonia’s secession.

Spain: Pedro Sánchez’s brother sentenced to four years in prison for corruption