BADAJOZ, Spain — David Sánchez, the brother of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has been convicted of administrative prevarication by the Provincial Court of Badajoz. In a unanimous ruling delivered on Tuesday, the court sentenced him to nine years of disqualification from holding public office or exercising the right to passive suffrage. The same penalty was imposed on the former president of the Badajoz Provincial Council, Miguel Ángel Gallardo, alongside several other regional officials.
The comprehensive, nearly 400-page ruling concludes that the public position of “coordinator of conservatory activities” was created with the specific objective of being filled by David Sánchez. However, the magistrates determined that it was not proven that this decision was made at his direct request, nor was it established that the role was designed to favor him explicitly because of his familial relationship with Pedro Sánchez, who was a prominent political figure and the future secretary general of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party at the time. Consequently, the court acquitted all defendants of the more severe charge of influence peddling, which had been sought by the popular prosecutions.
Despite the acquittal on influence peddling, the court found that the accused acted in connivance to favor David Sánchez. The tribunal stated that the defendants orchestrated the urgent creation of an unnecessary public employment position devoid of actual content, prioritizing private interest over the general public good. The appointment was executed with opacity and irregularity, establishing labor and remuneration conditions typically reserved for high-management personnel. The court also found that another similarly unnecessary and functionally hollow high-management position was created specifically to be awarded to Luis Carrero, a close friend and former collaborator of David Sánchez.
The ruling structures the proven facts into three distinct phases. The first involves the genesis of the conservatory coordinator post, which was created ad hoc for the Prime Minister’s brother. The second phase details the subsequent change in the job’s nomenclature, a maneuver designed to mask the creation of a new high-management role with radically different functions. The final phase covers the creation of the “head of section for coordination of centers and cross-border activity programs,” which was awarded to Carrero.
Espagne : interdiction d’exercer toute fonction publique pendant neuf ans pour David Sanchez, le frère du premier ministre. Outre cette affaire, d’autres dossiers judiciaires éclaboussent l’entourage de Pedro Sanchez.https://t.co/drfFU2EkYV pic.twitter.com/qQtcm8D0um
— Enzo Morel (@mtwit75) July 14, 2026
During the oral trial, directors of the local conservatories testified that they had never requested the creation of such a position, describing its placement in the organizational chart as absurd when there were other pressing needs, such as hiring a pianist or expanding library hours. These directors acknowledged knowing beforehand that the role was intended for Pedro Sánchez’s brother. Furthermore, the court highlighted that David Sánchez’s own testimony revealed a complete lack of knowledge regarding the operations of the Badajoz conservatories, an inability to recall interview questions, and uncertainty about his own start date. The ruling notes that he neglected his duties from the very beginning, rarely attending his workplace. As he did not reside in Badajoz, did not travel there regularly to fulfill his obligations, and was not authorized to telework, he fundamentally failed to coordinate the conservatories as required.
Regarding the alteration of his job description, the court found that the Culture Area of the Provincial Council actively sought to adapt David Sánchez’s assigned duties to his personal tastes and interests. This involved former Culture delegate Francisco Martos Ortiz, former director Emilia Parejo, and former Human Resources director Juana Cinta in consolidating a “Young Opera” program, effectively transforming David Sánchez into the “head of the Performing Arts Office.” Regarding Luis Carrero’s role, the tribunal noted that his section did not depend on David Sánchez’s office and was empty of effective content. The court emphasized the prior personal relationship between Carrero and David Sánchez regarding the “Operegrina” project, noting that the Prime Minister’s brother took Carrero’s hiring for granted a full 24 days before the official job requirements were even published.
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This verdict marks the first time a family member of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been convicted in a criminal court. The ruling comes just over twenty days after the historic conviction of former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos. While David Sánchez received a penalty significantly lower than the six-year prison sentence requested by the popular prosecutions, the legal scrutiny on the Prime Minister’s inner circle continues, as his wife, Begoña Gómez, currently awaits a decision from the Provincial Court of Madrid regarding the opening of a trial against her.
