The president of Conpymes testified Thursday before Judge Peinado on his company's financial support for Begoña Gómez's chair. The defense of the prime minister's wife appealed the decision to send the case to a jury trial.
José María Torres, president of the employers' group Conpymes, acknowledged Thursday before Judge Juan Carlos Peinado that his company Numintec sponsored only one chair, that of Begoña Gómez at the Complutense University. The support consisted of 6,000 euros annually for scholarships in the Competitive Social Transformation master's program, agreed months before Gómez took part in the 2021 presentation of Conpymes.
Torres admitted frequent meetings with Gómez, another chair official and her adviser Cristina Álvarez in cafés and related events. He stated that Álvarez's duties were limited to security and communication.
Begoña Gómez's defense appealed to the Provincial Court the judge's decision to proceed with a jury trial. Lawyer Antonio Camacho criticized Peinado for mechanically reproducing prior rulings without addressing specific claims on the lack of evidence for the charged offenses.
