iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
A family of four was killed in a landslide in the mountainous Hoa Binh province of northern Vietnam early Sunday morning, according to state media
KT APPDOWNLOAD
Spanish PM files lawsuit against judge leading wife's graft probe
The lawsuit argues the judge and others may have committed 'criminal acts' in his summons by not allowing Sanchez to testify in writing as requested by the Socialist leader, according to the complaint
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his wife Begona Gomez arrive to cast their ballots for the European Parliament election at a polling station in Madrid, on June 9, 2024. — AFP file
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against a judge who summoned him to testify in a probe into alleged influence-peddling by his wife, accusing him of violating the law.
The lawsuit filed by Spain's state legal services argues the judge and others may have committed "criminal acts" in his summons by not allowing Sanchez to testify in writing as requested by the Socialist leader, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit "is not a frontal attack on the judiciary", the document said.
"On the contrary, it is an expression of confidence in the judiciary, which alone is capable of putting an end to an abuse, in this case a judicial abuse attributable to one of the more than 5,000 judges who exercise their functions in Spain."
Sanchez on Tuesday opted not to answer questions from judge Juan Carlos Peinado, who is heading the preliminary inquiry into his wife Begona Gomez's business ties, at the premier's official residence.
Under Spanish law, one can refuse to answer questions in a case affecting close family members, including spouses.
Sanchez asked to testify in writing, as allowed under Spanish law for top government officials, but Peinado rejected the request, arguing he would quiz him in his role as Gomez's spouse.
"You cannot separate one person into two and claim that you are going to question him as his spouse, when what determines the subject of the investigation...is the fact that the husband of the person under investigation is the head of government," the lawsuit stated.
Gomez, who has worked in fundraising for years, is being investigated for alleged influence-peddling and corruption following a complaint filed by anti-graft NGO Manos Limpias — Spanish for 'Clean Hands' — which has links to the far right.
She is alleged to have used her husband's position as leverage within her professional circles, notably with businessman Juan Carlos Barrabes, who was seeking public funding.
She has not spoken publicly about the case but Sanchez has denied any wrongdoing by his wife and dismissed the allegations as part of a right-wing smear campaign against his left-wing government.
More news from World
Earlier, Israel declared a 48-hour state of emergency on August 25, after strikes in Lebanon
The delegations called for additional border crossings to be opened, including the Aweil crossing from South Sudan
Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will return to Earth on a SpaceX vehicle in February 2025
Sheikh Saud is leading a high-level Ras Al Khaimah delegation to the four-day conference, which is one of the largest investment fairs in China
The plane carrying 247 passengers had been flying to Frankfurt, Germany, from Mumbai, India
The autopsies on cook Recaldo Thomas and Mike Lynch were expected to be conducted on Friday, with Hannah Lynch due to follow on Saturday
PM2.5 reached levels higher than average in India due to human and industrial activity, according to the UN weather agency