This is the recording of history: OKDIARIO exclusively publishes the full video of Pedro SanchezPresident of the Government, testifying in Moncloa before the judge Juan Carlos Peinadoinstructor of the case in which his wife is being investigated, Begoña Gomezfor influence peddling and corruption in business. The President of the Government answers the judge’s questions for one minute and 52 seconds in the context of the judicial investigation that made him threaten to leave the presidency. Pedro Sánchez limits himself to saying that he does not know the people being investigated, with the exception of Begoña Gómez, to whom he referred by saying: “She is my wife”. After that, he refuses to testify, as allowed by the Code of Criminal Procedure, taking advantage of the exception that this law provides for the spouses of the accused or the accused.
The President of the Government appeared before Judge Peinado on the morning of July 30 in Moncloa. Pedro Sánchez sent a letter to the judge a few days before request to testify in writing to be the president of the government. The instructor denied, relying on the law. The deposition was to take place in person and the magistrate, accompanied by two court officials, entered the presidential complex. It was the first time that a Spanish president had testified before a judge for allegations of corruption by his wife.
Before the arrival of Pedro Sánchez, Moncloa security team seized cell phones and computers to those attending the court event. They also had them sign a confidentiality document about what was happening there. “That’s protocol,” one of the bodyguards said as they put the electronic devices into a box. Faraday. No citizen who testifies before the judge enjoys these privileges. In fact, lawyers are allowed to have their computers on the table in case they need to consult the contents of the summary, which was not the case in the case of Pedro Sánchez. Everything was done to prevent Sánchez’s images from being revealed before the judge.
The president entered the room while the judge, the prosecutor and the parties were already seated. Without saying hello He sat on a black desk with conference microphones. To his left were two flagpoles: one with the flag of Spain hanging on it and next to it the insignia of the European Union. He sat down on a white chair by a window and began answering Peinado’s questions.
The judge asked him what kind of relationship he had with the people being investigated and he replied not knowing Juan Carlos Barrabés enter direct contradiction with this Aragonese businessman, who is the guru of his wife’s mastery. Barrabés told the judge that he had met Pedro Sánchez at a business meeting in Benasque (Huesca), that he had gone to Moncloa to see him to talk about innovation and that he had hosted him at several events. Sánchez himself also praised the activity of his business conglomerate, Grupo Barrabés, which has managed to to be awarded million-dollar public contractsamong which those obtained after the letters of recommendation signed in their favor by Begoña Gómez.
After explaining his relationship with the people being questioned, Pedro Sánchez took advantage of the exemption to not testify against his wife and completed the proceedings. The judge left the Moncloa and, a few minutes later, filed a complaint for “prevarication” against Peinado. He used the prosecution to present it and has already received the support of the prosecution.
Pedro Sanchez’s video
Pedro Sánchez’s statement was recorded on video, as is customary in this type of judicial investigation. The law stipulates that interrogations must be recorded and contributed to the summary of the case, so that the parties could consult the testimonies. The president was not going to be less and the instructor requested that his testimony be filmed. To do this, two technicians from the Community of Madrid traveled the day before to set up the digital infrastructure necessary for the recording. Begoña Gómez’s defense opposed it, as did the representative of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, but the request was rejected. The judge ensured that the information was recorded before starting the statement.
Pedro Sanchez’s video has been kept for weeks at the Court of Instruction number 41 of Madrid, which is leading the investigations into Begoña Gómez. The judge alerted the parties involved in the proceedings that he did not want there to be any leaks, which is why it is only until now that he has delivered this recording. The video was released this Monday, September 23 at 12:00. with watermark to prevent its distribution in the media. Furthermore, it was not delivered with the rest of the video testimonies already provided in the case.
Begoña’s Statement
OKDIARIO also published Begoña Gómez’s statement before the judge last July. Pedro Sánchez’s wife began her appearance in 10:26 and it ended exactly thirteen minutes later. The wife of the general manager stated twice that she was unaware of the facts attributed to her. She came very seriously, with a black suit, and sat on the edge of the bench with her back to the door. Since she did not declare herself, Judge Juan Carlos Peinado postponed the declaration until Friday, July 19. Nor did he provide any explanation of the facts being investigated. Both were brief hearings in which Begoña Gómez limited herself to saying “no” to the judge’s question about whether she knew the facts for which she was being investigated.
