Sánchez Faces Pressure from Three Investigations: Gómez, Koldo, and his Brother

Begoña Gómez, Koldo, and the Brother: Mapping the Three Cases

How many open cases does it take for a government to stop talking about coincidences? The investigation into Begoña Gómez for influence peddling and corruption, always in the preliminary investigation phase, is no longer an isolated file. Two other matters have become entangled with it: the mask case involving former advisor to José Luis Ábalos, Koldo García, and the assets of the president's brother, David Sánchez. Three fronts, three courts, and a recurring pattern: public contracts, letters of recommendation, and shell companies. None of the three cases are closed.

The €3.6 Million Contract with the CSD and Letters for Barrabés

The company Innova Next, owned by businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés, was awarded a contract with the Higher Sports Council for €3,684,317.4 on May 27, 2022. The UCO (Civil Guard's incivil investigation unit) later searched for documentation related to this award. According to published reports, Begoña Gómez allegedly signed two letters of recommendation in favor of Barrabés. He, in turn, certified in writing to the European Union—in the European Single Procurement Document—that he had not obtained "influences" or "advantages" to secure the Red.es contracts funded by community funds. On the ground, the UCO points to another detail: Red.es allegedly changed the criteria for its tenders after Cierco's departure and awarded €10 million to Barrabés.

The Trademark Registered at Home and Software Paid for by Indra, Telefónica, and Google

Begoña Gómez registered a platform in her name with the Patents and Trademarks Office, similar to one that Indra, Telefónica, and Google provided free of charge to the Complutense University. The university states it was unaware of this move. The company she manages, and of which she controls 100% of the shares, offers precisely this software that the three tech companies developed at no cost for the Complutense. Indra's own chairman, Marc Murtra, personally received her at the company. The trail in this segment is meticulous: registration date, address, and company ownership. The complete breakdown paints a picture that cannot fit in a single paragraph.

The Master's Degree Shaped in August, Before the Chair Existed

The teaching team for Begoña Gómez's master's degree was assembled by August 12, 2020, just two weeks after the rector of the Complutense University visited Moncloa (the Prime Minister's office). The chair was not established until two months later. Barrabés, a professor on the course, helped set up the degree despite her lacking official university qualifications, according to available information. The timeline is awkward: first the visit, then the academic council, later the structure.

Masks: The Cheaper Offer That Was Shelved

On April 16, 2020, Ábalos already knew about the mask contract award to Soluciones de Gestión. This is noted in a UCO report: his advisor Koldo García sent the documentation to three email accounts, one of them linked to the minister himself. The consulted documentation suggests that the government chose the more expensive offer despite having a cheaper alternative at half the price. And the network expands: the UCO connects Koldo to the owner of a well-known brothel and to an individual arrested for extortion in another hydrocarbon fraud case. None of these connections have been proven in a court ruling.

The Brother: €55,500 Salary and a 425-Square-Meter Mansion

David Sánchez declares assets exceeding two million euros with a salary of €55,500. He established his residence in Thailand just before multiplying those assets to €1.7 million, according to published reports. In Portugal, he paid cash for a 425-square-meter villa with five bathrooms using two BBVA checks, a fact that the judge of Investigating Court number 3 of Badajoz considers a mystery. He also provided an ID card with a Badajoz address he abandoned three years ago. By teleworking from Portugal for the Badajoz Provincial Council, he saved €76,000 in taxes. The judge had to request a basic asset report from the tax authorities: until then, the tax office had not inspected him.

Air Europa, Aldama's Messages, and a Separate Case

Víctor de Aldama's mobile phones, seized by the UCO, contain messages from Begoña Gómez, according to published reports. The communications occurred during Globalia's negotiations with Moncloa to rescue Air Europa with €475 million in public funds. Judge Pedraz peine a separate case within the Hydrocarbons case to investigate this material. This is the most uncomfortable front, as it connects the family sphere with a government decision.

The Lawsuit Against the Judge and the Narrative of Mud

On July 30, Sánchez invoked his right not to testify against his vvife and filed a lawsuit against Judge Peinado. The State Legal Service supported the accusation of malfeasance in a case where a judge was convicted for preventing a scam in the purchase of a property. Some legal professionals call it a mess; the government calls it legitimate defense. Meanwhile, the president of the Constitutional Court dined with Zapatero and met with Sánchez before the elections in Venezuela, and the judiciary is already talking about the "final blow" to its independence.

Summing it all up, the initial question answers itself: many cases can arise, and none close on their own. The investigations remain active, some searches have been annulled through procedural means, and the news cycle buries each new development at television estimulante ilegal. That the mud dries up before anyone looks at it closely remains, officially, a hypothesis.