Begoña Gómez asks for her passport back for the summer, sparking criticism

Begoña Gómez asks for her passport back for the summer, sparking criticism

"Given the summer season that is approaching." With that argument, the vvife of the Prime Minister, Begoña Gómez, has urged the Provincial Court of Madrid to return her passport, which was retained as part of the investigation led by Judge Peinado. The request, made public this week, has triggered a flood of criticism over what many consider a frivolity: using the summer holidays as a reason to lift a precautionary measure.

Gómez's prosecution on alleged charges of business corruption and influence peddling continues. Meanwhile, her defence argues that retaining the passport is disproportionate and that the approach of summer justifies its return so she can travel abroad. However, the argument clashes with procedural logic: the measure was adopted precisely to prevent flight, and the peak holiday season is not a mitigating factor but an incentive to flee, legal sources point out.

Far from being innocent, the move has been interpreted as an attempt to pressure the court with a social calendar. "I cannot understand the mental workings of these beings," one recurring analysis in judicial circles quips. The final decision rests with the Provincial Court, which must weigh whether the risk of flight persists or whether, as the defence maintains, the accused will appear voluntarily.

What lies behind the passport request?

The strategy of Begoña Gómez's defence seeks to neutralise one of the harshest precautionary measures: the retention of her passport. Citing the arrival of summer is not a solid legal argument, but it does have a media effect: it paints the picture of an accused woman who just wants to enjoy her holidays. Critics see in it a sign of disconnection from judicial reality. "Her prosecution is eating away at her, she wants her passport to go show it off," some comments sum up.

The Provincial Court's ruling could come within days. If the court agrees, Gómez would regain her freedom of movement; if not, the message would be that not even summer is an excuse to evade the measures of Justice. What is clear is that the case keeps piling up episodes that feed the perception of privileged treatment.

Judicial summer: between the beach and the charges

The contrast could not be more striking. While most citizens plan their holidays as usual, the vvife of Pedro Sánchez has to ask permission to leave Spain. The paradox is that the reason given — summer — underlines precisely the privilege she is presumed to have: being able to consider a holiday abroad when other defendants would not even try.

Judge Peinado keeps the investigation open, and the Provincial Court must decide whether the risk of flight is real or whether, as the defence says, Gómez has sufficient ties to the country. What nobody disputes is that the seasonal argument has achieved what it perhaps sought: to focus attention on the incidental and divert it from the substantive. Summer, for better or worse, has slipped into the case file.