The Audiencia Provincial de Badajoz on Tuesday convicted David Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, the younger brother of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, of administrative prevarication and barred him from holding public office or standing for election for nine years. The court acquitted him of the more serious charge of influence peddling, which had carried a potential prison term. The ruling, which is not final and can be appealed, also imposed nine-year disqualifications on nine other former officials of the Badajoz provincial government, while its former president, Miguel Ángel Gallardo, received an 18-year ban for two counts of the same offence.

According to the court’s findings, the position of coordinator of the province’s music conservatories was created in 2017 without any genuine administrative necessity and was later modified to align with David Sánchez’s personal interest in opera. The judges described the defendants’ actions as “a grossly arbitrary exercise of power with the exclusive aim of favouring specific individuals,” noting that the selection criteria were designed after the candidates’ curricula were known, thereby violating principles of merit and equal access to public employment. The court concluded that the procedures were “purely cosmetic” and that public funds were used to allow the beneficiaries to pursue personal activities without oversight.

The verdict has drawn sharply divergent reactions across Spain’s political spectrum. The government spokesperson, Elma Saiz, stated that Madrid respects the judicial process but expressed confidence that higher courts would “confirm the innocence of David Sánchez.” The ruling Socialist Party and its parliamentary allies, including the left-wing Sumar and the Catalan separatist ERC, described the sentence as disproportionate and part of a politically motivated campaign by the far right. By contrast, the conservative Popular Party called the conviction a “historic day” and renewed its demand for the prime minister’s resignation, with its leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo noting that this is the third judicial blow to Sánchez’s inner circle. The far-right Vox party went further, labelling the government a “mafia” and asserting that the prime minister remains in power only to avoid prosecution.

The case adds to a cascade of judicial proceedings that have weakened Sánchez’s minority government, which struggles to pass legislation and has ruled out early elections before 2027. The prime minister’s wife, Begoña Gómez, faces a separate investigation for alleged influence peddling, while a former close aide, José Luis Ábalos, was recently sentenced to 24 years in prison for corruption. The complaint against David Sánchez was originally filed by the far-right union Manos Limpias, and the public prosecutor had requested his acquittal. The sentence can be challenged before the High Court of Justice of Extremadura, and the legal process is expected to extend well into the political cycle, ensuring that the controversy remains a central fault line in Spanish politics.