The president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, questioned this Monday the actions of the magistrate Juan Carlos Peinado, whom he accused of having "caused a lot of damage to Justice" with his instructions in the proceedings he directs.
In an interview on "El Intermedio" of La Sexta, Sánchez emphasized that "not all judges are the same" and that there are magistrates who "do their job well" while others "indeed do not." Regarding Peinado, responsible for the case opened against his wife, Begoña Gómez, he maintained that he "will not be remembered for his instructions nor for having been impartial": "He has caused a lot of damage to Justice."
The head of the Executive defended that both his wife and his brother, David Sánchez -- sentenced to nine years of disqualification for necessary cooperation in a crime of administrative prevarication -- are "honest people" with an "impeccable trajectory," although he acknowledged that they are "suffering" from the judicial cases opened as a result of complaints from "far-right associations and also the Popular Party and Vox," whose objective, he said, is "to undermine the amount of resistance that a legitimate Government may have to continue with its work at the head of the Executive."
Sánchez announced that they will appeal the "incomprehensible" sentence against David Sánchez and expressed his confidence that the popular jury that will soon judge Begoña Gómez for alleged crimes of embezzlement and influence peddling will be "fair."
Investigation into the migration crisis in Ceuta
Regarding the investigation in the National Court about the Ceuta crisis, the president considered it "surprising" that, by court order, the report related to the massive entry of migrants on July 30 was not initially transferred to the Executive, being "information about national security."
However, he expressed his "utmost respect for justice" and valued that the magistrate María Tardón, responsible for the instruction, rectified that decision and allowed the Government to know the conclusions of the report prepared by the police commanders.
"We are going to see what the judicial course of this situation is; in any case, what I can guarantee is that from the Government of Spain there is maximum transparency, maximum collaboration with justice, because, I insist, we are also the first interested in understanding what has happened," he emphasized.
Zapatero and the presumption of innocence
The president also referred to the judicial situation of former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, recalling that "everyone has the right to the presumption of innocence." In this context, he highlighted "his legacy" and "his political commitment," citing as an example his role in "the reconciliation in Catalonia."
"I find compelling reasons to trust in his innocence and to trust that he can participate and cooperate with us in the future electoral campaigns that we have," he noted.
Housing crisis and criticism of Ayuso
Throughout the conversation, Sánchez also addressed the housing crisis and defended that "a paradigm shift" has occurred with the approval of the Housing Law, by incorporating "intervention mechanisms, whether it be transparency with the reference indices of housing prices, whether it be with tourist accommodations, or also with the stressed areas or their qualification."
In his opinion, the main obstacle is "the ideological boycott" of some autonomous communities, which he urged to collaborate in applying the law.
Asked about his absence at the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix and about the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, he limited himself to commenting "I see her a little obsessed with penthouses." "In any case, major events in Madrid are always welcome," he concluded.