PEDRO SÁNCHEZ'S BROTHER BANNED FROM PUBLIC OFFICE FOR NINE YEARS

David Sánchez, a composer and orchestra conductor, has been banned from holding public office for nine years following a guilty verdict on administrative misconduct charges. A court in Badajoz found him guilty on Tuesday of misconduct relating to his appointment as coordinator of public music schools by a socialist-led council in Extremadura in July 2017. Sánchez was cleared of influence peddling, the more serious charge in the case. He had denied all accusations against him.

The appointment occurred when his brother, Pedro Sánchez, was national leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' party but had not yet become prime minister. The court ruled that the job creation had not been "necessary or urgent" and had been developed "in the particular interest of its assignee and not in the general interest". However, the court stated that it had not been proved that anyone had exerted pressure or influence, nor that anyone had taken advantage of their position through personal or hierarchical relationships. Had David Sánchez been convicted of influence peddling, he could have faced a three-year prison sentence.

The case was one of 11 people tried together in May, with nine co-defendants also found guilty of administrative misconduct and handed nine-year bans from public office. Miguel Ángel Gallardo, the PSOE's former leader in Extremadura, received an 18-year ban after being found guilty of two counts of misconduct. The complaint was brought by Manos Limpias, described as a self-styled trade union with far-right links that has pursued cases it considers threats to Spain's democratic interests. Corruption allegations involving the prime minister's family and the PSOE have prompted opposition parties to call for a snap general election.