Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, pledged her support to Complutense University of Madrid rector Joaquín Goyache against the regional government less than a month before her university chair was launched, leaked email records show.
In an email sent on Sunday, September 20, 2020, and exclusively accessed by Spanish newspaper La Razón, Gómez assured Goyache that he had her backing against a regional administration in Madrid that she acknowledged was not making things easy for him.
At the time of the exchange, the regional Ministry of Education in Madrid was headed by Eduardo Sicilia, an independent politician selected by the centre-right Citizens party as part of the regional coalition government. Gómez noted in her message that she was reiterating support she had already expressed to the university rector on previous occasions.
Gómez assured Goyache that the institution would emerge strengthened from the creation of the extraordinary chair in Competitive Social Transformation. She encouraged the rector, stating that it was time to give their all and that the university was in good hands with him, adding that she was not attempting to flatter him.
Goyache replied several hours later on the same Sunday, thanking Gómez for her words and stating that he deeply appreciated her support.
Email exchanges ahead of public presentation
In the same September 20 email, Gómez shared with the rector the draft text she planned to use when introducing him at an official public event scheduled three days later, on September 23, 2020, to announce the establishment of the chair in advance.
She asked Goyache for his opinion on the draft introduction to be read before a video presentation, asking whether it aligned with his earlier comments. The rector had previously discussed the base text for the video shown at the event, which addressed questions set by an agency.
During the official event on September 23, Gómez introduced Goyache's video appearance by linking two central ideas. She stated that university students preparing to work as entrepreneurs, self-employed professionals, or corporate employees look for companies that benefit society as a whole. She then presented Goyache as taking up that mantle by promoting the Competitive Social Transformation chair as a tool to integrate social and economic goals for the common good.
Meetings and chair regulations at Moncloa Palace
The exchange formed part of a broader series of emails between Gómez and Goyache during the summer of 2020, when the extraordinary chair at the Complutense University of Madrid was first conceived. The email chain began on July 30, 2020, following a meeting between the two at Moncloa Palace, the official residence and workplace of the Spanish prime minister in Madrid.
In her July 30 email, Gómez thanked Goyache for his time during their meeting the previous day. She praised his enthusiasm and alignment regarding Competitive Social Transformation, the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations, and public-private partnerships. She added that she was proud to drive a scalable, high-impact project alongside Complutense University.
On September 19, 2020, Goyache sent Gómez the official regulations governing the creation of extraordinary chairs at the university, along with template agreements and explanatory memory documentation. He asked her to review the documents so they could begin work, apologizing for taking so long and remarking that the start of the academic year was proving overwhelming.
Judicial investigation and trial proceedings
The email communications were cited by Investigating Judge Juan Carlos Peinado in an order sending Gómez to trial alongside her adviser at Moncloa Palace, Cristina Álvarez. Judge Peinado highlighted court testimony indicating that Goyache had traveled to Moncloa Palace in July 2020 to finalize details regarding the creation of the chair.
Goyache testified in court that he visited the official presidential residence after receiving a telephone call from Gómez's secretary, Cristina Álvarez, who informed him that Gómez wanted to meet him to discuss a series of projects. Goyache confirmed that he met with Gómez alone during that visit.
Former university vice-rector Juan Carlos Doadrio also testified in court that Goyache had called him by phone to state that he needed to create a university chair for Gómez, referring to her as the wife of the prime minister.
Judge Peinado ruled that the evidence pointed to potential influence peddling. His decision to open trial proceedings was subsequently upheld on appeal by Section 23 of the Provincial Court of Madrid, clearing the way for the case to be decided by a popular jury.
