Sanchez saga takes twists and turns as accusers admit error

The saga of Pedro Sanchez's potential resignation as Spain's prime minister has taken an unexpected turn. Manos Limpias - the anti-corruption group, with far-right links, that persuaded a judge to launch a corruption probe into Sanchez's wife - has admitted it may have made a mistake.

Manos Limpias, which means 'Clean Hands', claimed Begoña Gómez used her position as the prime minister's wife to secure sponsorship for a Masters program she was running. But on Thursday the group admitted that the information they brought to a Madrid judge may be based on fake news.

Prosecutors in Spain asked a court on Thursday to throw out the corruption case that has prompted Sanchez to step back from public duties and announce he is considering resigning.

Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) leader Sanchez says his family are victims of a right-wing attack and accuses his opponents of harassment. Gómez faces claims that she used government connections to further her business interests.

The preliminary investigation, announced on Wednesday, lit the fuse on Sanchez's bombshell letter published on social media saying he was taking a five-day break from public duties and would announce his decision to stay or quit on April 29.

Sanchez wrote that he needed some time to pause and consider whether his position is worth enduring the "concerted campaign of right-wing harassment."

‌The case is now pending and depends on the judge who initiated proceedings on the back of information and evidence provided by Manos Limpias. The group used a unique Spanish legal instrument known as the "people's accusation" to bring the criminal complaint against Gómez.

Investigation sealed

The appeal will be heard by a separate court and could take months, and the judge's investigation into Gómez is sealed in the meantime.

She has worked in the private sector and has been a discreet figure overall since Sanchez first became Premier back in 2018. Sanchez insists his wife is innocent and that she will answer to any judge and respond to any questions to, in his words, defend her honor.

On Thursday Sanchez said nothing as a storm of reactions raged all round. ‌Some on the right accused Sanchez of playing the victim and of making a spectacle of Spain and embarrassing the country. Leader of the opposition Alberto Nuñez Feijoo insisted that Sanchez couldn't be a "part-time President" and take five days off work.

‌Other speculation suggested that Sanchez is trying to influence the upcoming Catalan elections or that he may have his eye on a job in Brussels, where he enjoys a certain amount of popularity.

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‌On the left of Spain's political divide the socialists and many of its partners in government have rallied around Sanchez. Socialist Minister for the Economy María Jesús Montero, a close ally, said allies were doing everything they could to convince Sanchez to stay.

‌A hashtag also trended on social media platform X in Spain that translates to "Don't give up Pedro Sanchez."

‌Since July, Sanchez has relied on a patchwork of smaller parties to informally support the government, including Catalan and Basque separatists.

His deals with Catalan parties have enraged opposition parties along with a significant part of the populace, sent relations between rival parties to a near-all-time low and generated a series of tit-for-tat impropriety claims played out in the media.

Since the election Spanish political discourse has become increasingly toxic and it's common to see personal accusations and even explicit insults flying across the Congress bench.

Should Sanchez decide to step down on Monday, when he is due to communicate his decision, the most likely outcome would be another election - potentially Spain's fourth general election in four years.

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