The wife of Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been barred from travelling abroad as she prepares to face trial on corruption charges. Investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado issued the ruling on Saturday, ordering Begona Gomez to hand in her passport and appear in court twice per month until a verdict is issued.

Gomez is charged with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds. She has consistently denied any wrongdoing. The case stems from a complaint filed by an anticorruption group with far-right ties.

The charges focus on the creation and management of a chair at Madrid’s Complutense University co-directed by Gomez, as well as the alleged use of public resources and personal connections to advance private interests.

Sanchez has dismissed the allegations as an attempt by the right wing to undermine his government. His Socialist Party has said Gomez is innocent and subject to a years-long campaign of political persecution.

No date has yet been set for the politically explosive trial. The case is one of several corruption investigations involving Sanchez’s allies that are approaching trial or already before the courts, increasing pressure on the prime minister.

Separately, Spain’s High Court said it was investigating former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero over allegations he led a network that profited from lobbying public authorities. He denies the claims.

Source: www.aljazeera.com