The defense of Cristina Álvarez, an advisor in La Moncloa to Begoña Gómez, wife of the President of the Government, has requested her acquittal and has described as "absurd" the request for 22 years in prison brought against her by the popular prosecution led by Hazte Oír, as reported by El País.
According to the information published by that newspaper, the defense brief categorically rejects the crimes attributed to Álvarez and questions the legal basis of the accusation made against her in the judicial proceedings opened regarding the professional activity of Begoña Gómez.
Always according to El País, the defense also recalls that one of the popular prosecutions involved in the case, Manos Limpias, has requested the dismissal with respect to Cristina Álvarez, in contrast to the position maintained by Hazte Oír.
The case proceeds despite the Prosecutor's Office's request for dismissal
Beyond this new defense brief, the judicial case continues its course after Judge Juan Carlos Peinado agreed to proceed with the proceedings against Begoña Gómez, Cristina Álvarez, and the businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés.
The proceedings investigate alleged crimes related to influence peddling, business corruption, misappropriation, and embezzlement, within a case that has been expanding throughout the investigation.
The Prosecutor's Office has opposed the advancement of the case and has requested its dismissal, finding no sufficient basis to sustain the accusation, a position different from that maintained by the popular prosecutions involved in the proceedings.
An investigation opened since 2024
The judicial investigation was opened in 2024 following a complaint filed by Manos Limpias regarding the professional activity of Begoña Gómez and her relationships with businessmen, as well as issues related to the Complutense University of Madrid.
With the progress of the investigation, the judicial focus expanded to other aspects, including the hiring of Cristina Álvarez as temporary staff in La Moncloa and the functions she would have performed.
One of the focal points of the investigation has revolved around whether this activity was limited to the institutional sphere or if it could have extended to matters related to the private activity of the President of the Government's wife, a thesis that is part of the judicial proceedings.
In this context, the defenses maintain their rejection of the accusations, while the case remains pending its judicial evolution and the decisions that the courts adopt in the next phases of the procedure.