Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez's Brother Banned From Public Office for Nine Years

David Sánchez, brother of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has been banned from holding public office for nine years after a court in Badajoz found him guilty of administrative misconduct linked to a post he took at a socialist-led council in Extremadura nine years ago. He was cleared of the more serious charge of influence peddling, which could have carried a three-year prison sentence.

The Guardian reported that the case, one of several corruption controversies surrounding Sánchez's family, government and Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, has fuelled repeated opposition demands for an early general election. All those accused deny wrongdoing.

David Sánchez, a composer and orchestra conductor, was among 11 defendants who went on trial in May. Prosecutors alleged he was given a specially created role as coordinator of public music schools by Badajoz's socialist-led council in July 2017, while his brother led the PSOE nationally but had not yet become prime minister. The complaint originated with Manos Limpias, a self-described trade union with far-right ties known for pursuing legal cases against figures it views as threats to Spanish democracy.

The court ruled the post had not been created out of necessity, and instead served the interest of the person appointed to it rather than any public need. However, judges found no evidence that anyone had exerted pressure or exploited a position of authority or personal connection to secure the job for him, which is why the influence peddling charge did not stick.

Nine of his co-defendants also received nine-year bans for administrative misconduct, while Miguel Ángel Gallardo, the PSOE's former regional leader in Extremadura, was banned for 18 years after being convicted on two counts. The rulings can still be appealed.

A pattern of cases around the prime minister

The verdict adds to mounting legal troubles close to Sánchez. His wife, Begoña Gómez, faces trial on charges including embezzlement, influence peddling and misappropriation of funds after a two-year investigation into a university post and alleged use of her position for private gain. Sánchez has described both cases as politically motivated and has questioned the independence of parts of Spain's judiciary, though he insists his wife and brother are innocent.

Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the People's Party called it the third conviction involving someone in the prime minister's inner circle, following the conviction of former attorney general Álvaro García Ortiz last November and the 24-year prison sentence handed to ex-transport minister José Luis Ábalos in June over bribery linked to pandemic-era contracts. Vox leader Santiago Abascal renewed his description of the PSOE as a "mafia."

Government figures pushed back sharply. Transport Minister Óscar Puente accused opponents of using the courts to unseat a government they could not defeat at the ballot box, while government spokesperson Elma Saiz said the administration trusted that David Sánchez's innocence would ultimately be confirmed by higher courts.