Court drops one charge against Spanish PM’s brother in influence-peddling trial

A court in the southwestern Spanish city of Badajoz (Extremadura) has dismissed one of the charges against David Sánchez (main image), the brother of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, ruling that the alleged offence is no longer prosecutable because the statute of limitations has expired.

David Sánchez, a composer and orchestra conductor who has worked and trained in cities including Toulouse, Tokyo and Madrid, is among 11 defendants standing trial over allegations linked to his hiring by the Badajoz Provincial Council in 2017.

Prosecutors claim he benefited from the creation of a position specifically designed for him as coordinator of the province’s music conservatories, a role that was later restructured into the head of the provincial performing arts office.

The defendants, who deny any wrongdoing, went on trial last Thursday facing charges that include alleged abuse of office and influence peddling. ALSO READ: Spanish PM’s brother goes on trial amid mounting pressure on government.

At the resumption of proceedings on Monday, the court ruled that the charge accusing David Sánchez of accepting an illegal appointment could not proceed because the legal deadline for prosecution had passed.

Announcing the decision, the president of the chamber, José Antonio Patrocinio, stated: ‘We declare the criminal responsibility for the crime of accepting an illegal appointment in the subjective scope of the trial for which David Sánchez was accused, to be extinguished by prescription.’

Patrocinio explained that the offence carried only a minor penalty under Spanish law and therefore fell outside the period during which prosecution was legally possible.

He added that ‘even if we consider it to be less serious, even in that hypothesis, it would also have expired, and therefore, by prescription, it must be excluded from the trial in this court’.

Prosecutors maintain that the position was created in 2016, before Pedro Sánchez became prime minister in 2018. David Sánchez is alleged to have remained in the role until at least the beginning of 2025. The post was overseen by the Badajoz Provincial Council, which at the time was governed by the socialist party (PSOE) led by Pedro Sánchez.

The court also ruled that former Badajoz Provincial Council president Miguel Ángel Gallardo would not face trial over the hiring of Luis Carrero, a former adviser at the Moncloa Palace and a friend of David Sánchez.

The judges accepted arguments from Gallardo’s defence that he had not been properly informed of the allegations during the investigation and had not been questioned as a suspect in relation to those accusations.

The chamber also accepted documentary evidence submitted by all parties involved in the proceedings, while rejecting other preliminary objections raised by the defence teams. The court said the reasons for those decisions would be fully detailed in its eventual judgment.

The case is one of several legal proceedings involving people connected to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez that have increased political pressure on his minority coalition government.