Spanish court drops expired charge against Pedro Sanchez’s brother as influence-peddling trial continues

 

MADRID, June 1 — A Spanish court today dropped one of the charges against the brother of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in an influence-peddling trial, ruling the alleged offense had expired under the statute of limitations.

David Sanchez, a composer and orchestra conductor who trained and worked in Toulouse, Tokyo and Madrid, is accused of benefiting from the creation of a tailor-made position as coordinator of music conservatories in the southwestern province of Badajoz.

The role was later transformed into head of the province’s performing arts office.

He and 10 other defendants went on trial Thursday on charges including alleged abuse of office and influence peddling. All deny the allegations.

The judge hearing the case said Monday he had agreed with a defence request to dismiss the charge that David Sanchez accepted an illegal appointment in 2017, after finding the legal time limit for prosecution had run out.

The court said the offense carried only a minor penalty.

Prosecutors say the position was created in 2016, before Pedro Sanchez became prime minister in 2018. David Sanchez remained in the post until at least early 2025.

The job was under the authority of the provincial council of Badajoz, which at the time was governed by Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist Party.

The case adds to a growing list of corruption-related proceedings involving figures in Pedro Sanchez’s political orbit, increasing pressure on his minority coalition government.

His wife, Begona Gomez, is under investigation in a separate corruption case.

His former right-hand man, ex-transport minister Jose Luis Abalos, is awaiting a verdict in his own corruption trial, which concluded in May.

Last month, a court placed former Socialist prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, a Sanchez ally, under formal investigation for influence peddling and other alleged crimes. — AFP