No date has been set for the politically sensitive case, which adds a a series of scandals affect the government of Sánchez.
The accusations come in a case based on the complaints of the Catholic party of Hazte Oír and extreme right-wing political groups including the Vox political party.
Gómez, who denies any wrongdoing, is accused of using her position as the prime minister’s wife for personal gain through the creation and management of the chair at the Complutense University of Madrid, which she co-chaired, as well as the alleged use of public funds and personal connections to advance private interests.
A Spanish government official quoted by Spanish newspapers Country and secret it said that Saturday’s decision contained “torture, bullying and incomparable details by a judge who has conducted an investigation that has no legal significance and is only about political motives.”
El País described Judge Juan Carlos Peinado’s decision as “an unprecedented step in Spain’s recent democratic history.”
Peinado’s decision comes just days after former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, a longtime Sánchez ally, he was brought before the court in Madrid to answer questions from judges about the public bailout of 53 million euros granted during the Covid crisis to the small airline Plus Ultra.
Zapatero categorically rejected any suggestion that he had any influence on the rescue.
