Spanish PM's brother banned from public office for nine years

A Spanish court on Tuesday banned the brother of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez from holding public office for nine years after convicting him of helping secure a public-sector job tailored for him.

A court in the western Extremadura region convicted David Sanchez of administrative misconduct but cleared him of influence peddling, which could have resulted in a prison sentence.

In its ruling, the court said he was an accomplice in the unlawful creation of the position and imposed a nine-year ban on holding public office and exercising voting rights.

The court found that the position of coordinator of music conservatories in the province of Badajoz was "neither necessary nor urgent" and had been created "to serve the private interest of its recipient and not the public interest."

"Such unethical practices harm democratic institutions and foster corruption and unequal opportunities," the court wrote in the ruling.

David Sanchez, a composer and orchestra director whose career has trained and worked in Saint Petersburg, Toulouse, Tokyo and Madrid, was tried with 10 other defendants.

He was accused of profiting from the creation of a tailor-made position as coordinator of music conservatories in Badajoz, a role later transformed into the head of the southwestern province's performing arts office.

Prosecutors say the position was created in 2016, before Pedro Sanchez became prime minister in 2018. David Sanchez remained in the post until at least early 2025.

The job was under the authority of the provincial council of Badajoz, which at the time was governed by Sanchez's Socialist Party.

"We have confidence in the justice system and that higher courts will confirm David Sanchez's innocence, which is what we believe," government spokeswoman Elma Saiz told a news conference.

Transport Minister Oscar Puente said the case was part of a broader effort to bring down the government "because of the inability to do so at the ballot box."

The case originated with a complaint by Manos Limpias, a self-styled anti-corruption group with far-right links.

It adds to a series of corruption-related investigations involving figures close to Pedro Sanchez that have raised doubts about the viability of his minority left-wing coalition.

His former right-hand man Jose Luis Abalos was sentenced to 24 years in prison for corruption last month.

Pedro Sanchez's wife, Begona Gomez, is under investigation over alleged influence peddling.

Former Socialist prime minister Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, an  ally of Sanchez, was also placed under investigation over alleged influence peddling linked to kickbacks.

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© Agence France-Presse