Spain‘s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced in a shock announcement he will suspend public duties until next week as he takes time to contemplate whether he wants to continue leading the government.
What Happened?
His action comes after a Spanish court on Wednesday launched a corruption probe of his wife, Begona Gomez.
The court launches a preliminary investigation into whether Sanchez’s wife committed a crime of influence peddling and corruption in business in her private dealings.
What He Said
Sanchez, 52, announced on Twitter/X: ‘I need to pause and think.
‘I urgently need an answer to the question of whether it is worthwhile (…) whether I should continue to lead the government or renounce this honour,’ he wrote.
He would appear before the media on Monday to announce his decision.
Sanchez said the seriousness of the attacks that he and his wife were receiving merited a measured response.
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Details of the Investigation
The court investigating Gomez did not provide further details as the case is sealed and preliminary, only saying it followed a complaint raised by anti-graft campaign group Manos Limpias – Clean Hands – whose leader has links to the far-right.
Manos Limpias said Gomez used her influence as the wife of the prime minister to allegedly secure sponsors for a university master’s degree course that she ran.
Sanchez has been Prime Minister of Spain since 2018, in the aftermath of the previous conservative government losing a confidence vote in the wake of a corruption scandal.
