Judge Peinado retires in September but keeps Begoña Gómez case open

Judge Peinado retires in September but keeps investigating Begoña Gómez

Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, who is leading the case against Begoña Gómez, the vvife of Spain's Prime Minister, is due to retire in September. Yet rather than shelving the case or speeding up its closure, he is keeping an investigation open that spans several fronts: from the alleged misappropriation of funds from the Complutense University of Madrid to the signing of recommendation letters for companies that later won public tenders.

The question hanging over the debate is straightforward: if the judge is leaving in a few months, why not close the case? Those in favour of pressing on argue that there are "serious signs of a crime" and that no one is above the law. They point out that a king, a former prime minister and a former attorney general have all faced prosecution, so the prime minister's vvife should be no exception.

Critics, on the other hand, point to political motivation. Judge Peinado, who got the post through a hand-picked appointment —it is argued— would be using his final months to wear down the Government. The judge's own ruling has been described as inconsistent by some analysts, to the point that the General Council of the Judiciary (Spain's judicial governing body) could open disciplinary proceedings against him.

The paradox is clear: a judge on the verge of retirement, with a disciplinary file on the horizon and a defendant whom the University claims owes tens of thousands of euros, while the official narrative insists it is all a persecution. Until September arrives, the question will remain unanswered.