Madrid (AFP) – The brother of the Spanish government’s president was sentenced on Tuesday to a nine-year ban on holding public office by a court that found him to have received favorable treatment in the hiring process, the court said on Tuesday.
First modification: 07/14/2026 – 15:08
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But a court in Badajoz, in the Extremadura region, acquitted him of an influence-peddling crime that could have led to jail time.
The court sentenced David Sánchez, the younger brother of Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez, “to the penalty of special deprivation of the right to hold or hold public office” and to vote “for a period of nine years” as “the creator of the crime of administrative evasion.”
His brother’s trial, which took place between May and June, was one of the main legal fronts affecting a weakened Pedro Sánchez, who rules in a parliamentary minority, unable to approve budgets or many of his initiatives.
David Sánchez, brother of President Pedro Sánchez, leaves the provincial court of Badajoz on May 28, 2026 in this city in southwestern Spain © Jorge Guerrero / AFP
A composer and conductor trained and trained on professional stages in St. Petersburg, Toulouse, Tokyo and Madrid, David Sánchez was prosecuted along with ten others for taking advantage of favorable treatment to obtain a work created for him.
The Badajoz Court ruled that the creation of the position of coordinator of the Badajoz Conservatory was “neither necessary nor urgent” and was due to “the special interest of the successful bidder and not to general interests.”
“This unethical practice harms democratic health and encourages corruption,” the judges wrote in their ruling.
Maneuvers to create the position began in 2016, before Pedro Sánchez took over as government president in 2018 following a vote of no confidence. His brother David remained in power until at least early 2025.
Spanish Government President Pedro Sanchez visits the area of a forest fire that killed 13 people in southern Spain on July 13, 2026 in Turre, in the Andalusian province of Almeria © Jorge Guerrero/AFP
“Confidence in justice and that the innocence of David Sánchez has been confirmed at higher levels, and this is what we believe in,” government spokeswoman Elma Sais responded at a press conference, recalling that the prosecutor’s office asked to acquit the brother of the chief executive.
For Pedro Sanchez, who has rejected opposition demands to postpone general elections scheduled for 2027, his brother’s case has become another headache.
This adds to the trial of two key people in his rise to power in 2018 who are or will be on trial for corruption cases (Santos Cerdan and José Luis Abalos), as well as the trial of his wife Begoña, who is close to the dock on suspicion of influence peddling.
In addition, former government chairman José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, a prominent socialist figure and political ally of Sánchez, was charged with influence peddling in exchange for bribes.
© 2026 AFP