The Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) has decided not to renew the extraordinary chair directed by Begoña Gómez. The Competitive Social Transformation (TSC) chair was signed on October 30, 2020 for a period of four years, so it expired next month. The wife of the President of the Government could request the renewal, for which she would have to provide the necessary funds, but, according to sources consulted by ABC, the University of Madrid had made the decision to let the chair die since last May.
Complutense did not communicate it because the agreement provides that it is necessary to wait a month before the expiration to decide whether or not the presidency continues, so the decision will be made official as of September 30, although it is already definitive. The liquidation of the controversial extraordinary chair was an open secret. ABC had already announced last June that everything indicated that it would not be renewed. Complutense is suffering a significant reputational cost because of this case, which is part of the investigation by Judge Juan Carlos Peinado for influence peddling.
In addition, the rector of the Complutense, Joaquín Goyache, who testified in court as a witness that he had gone to La Moncloa at the request of Begoña Gómez to inaugurate the chair, was subsequently investigated. “The interested parties were informed by mail from the Secretariat of the Office of the Vice-Rector for Planning, Coordination and International Relations,” sources from the university institution tell ABC. “Begoña Gómez has not acknowledged receipt, although she is not obliged to, but it is also true that we are on schedule,” the same sources add.
The UCM also communicated this in writing to the chair’s sponsors, the La Caixa Foundation and Reale Seguros, as Ep has stated. In any case, Reale Seguros had already announced that it would not renew the sponsorship. As ABC revealed more than four years ago, Gómez requested the funds from both entities, which agreed to contribute 60,000 euros each for the four-year period that expires today.
The CEO of Reale, who testified before the judge, explained that they had decided not to continue with the chair: “It had lost its content, it was the activity of the chair itself, which seems to have diminished over the years. The number of students and the share of research have lost a concrete activity and it is not worth continuing because it is fading. For his part, the deputy general director of the La Caixa Foundation, Marc Simón, said he was “satisfied” and maintained his desire to renew.
The Masters
On the other hand, Begoña Gómez co-directed two master’s degrees that, although under the auspices of the chair, are independent. One of them, Competitive Social Transformation, with the same name as the chair, does not continue with this course, as the management did not request to offer it for the 2024-2025 academic year. Yes, the other degree co-directed by Pedro Sánchez’s wife is part of the academic offering, the master’s degree in fundraising management for the ONL (non-profit organizations).
It was offered on the Complutense website a few months ago and, according to sources consulted by ABC, it has some students enrolled. Begoña Gómez co-directs this program because, lacking an official university degree, she cannot be its director.
