Pallade Veneta - Spain PM's wife testifies in corruption case

Her appearance at a Madrid court comes during a frenzied week of legal activity in connection with cases that have ensnared Sanchez's inner circle and emboldened the conservative opposition.

Gomez only agreed to answer questions from her lawyer during the hearing, which focuses on accusations she illegally appropriated software financed by private companies and initially intended for Madrid's Complutense University while she worked there.

Judge Juan Carlos Peinado summoned her after agreeing to investigate complaints submitted by a group with far-right ties, "Hazte Oir" ("Make Your Voice Heard").

Peinado launched an investigation against Gomez in April for alleged corruption and influence peddling after Hazte Oir and another group with far-right connections accused her of exploiting her position as Sanchez's wife in her business circles.

Gomez entered and left the court by car through an underground garage to avoid the press that was waiting for her.

During an appearance before the conservative-controlled Madrid regional parliament in November, Gomez dismissed the corruption allegations against her as politically motivated.

She previously invoked her right to silence in July in connection with the corruption and influence peddling case.

- 'Playing the victim' -

Gomez's appearance is the high point of a week of court hearings connected with Sanchez and his government, the other centred on the allegedly fraudulent procurement of masks during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The businessman suspected of being at the heart of the case on Monday accused Jose Luis Abalos, Sanchez's former transport minister and close ally, of accepting lucrative kickbacks in exchange for the contracts.

Abalos's former adviser, another key suspect, appeared in court on Tuesday, while a member of staff at government headquarters accused of actually working for Gomez is due to testify on Friday.

Sanchez -- one of Europe's longest-serving leaders -- has consistently defended the innocence of his wife and government, saying the accusations are part of a smear campaign by the conservative and far-right opposition.

During a debate in parliament held at around the same time as Gomez's hearing, the leader of the conservative Popular Party (PP), Alberto Nunez Feijoo, accused Sanchez of "playing the victim before judges".

In response the prime minister replied that he was "convinced that the vast majority of judges in our country carry out their work with absolute rigour", and blasted Feijoo for not asking about issues such as education and economic growth which are of greater concern to the general public.

The prime minister's younger brother David Sanchez is due for a hearing in January in a separate case where "Manos Limpias" ("Clean Hands"), another group with links to the far right, accused him of embezzlement, influence peddling and tax fraud.

Last week, Sanchez suggested some judges were colluding with the PP by supplying it information on the sensitive cases, prompting the Supreme Court president to defend the independence of the judiciary.

B.Fortunato--PV