Teresa Ribera finds it “surprising” that the judge investigating Begoña Gómez have decided call the president’s wife to testify of the Government just in the final stretch of the European campaign. This was stated by the head of the PSOE list on ‘Cadena SER’ this Wednesday, where he stated that “to say the least, it’s strange that this be announced four days before the elections.

For the third vice president, there are “two very surprising things that break the usual guidelines” in the conduct of Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, by ignoring “the unwritten custom of not making any decision in any court or tribunal that may interfere in an election campaign” and “the Supreme Court’s recommendation not to advance cases based on unverified press reports.”

Thus, Ribera considers that the UCO report -which found no evidence of a crime- and the information that has emerged in the media “shows that, at the very least, it is rare for this to be announced four days before the elections” and “without having yet taken testimony from the witnesses”. “It’s amazing“, has warned.

His statements come after he himself Sanchez described it as “strange” that the judicial decision was announced on the eve of the elections, in a new letter to citizens in which he also alluded to that “unwritten rule of not dictating resolutions likely to condition the normal development of an electoral campaign”.

Along these same lines, Ribera has charged against the Popular Party, asserting that his campaign has not been “based on proposals or programs, but on how to discredit the president of the Government”, “normalize that irritation in the streets” and “question each and every one of the steps” of the Executive.

In this regard, the also head of Ecological Transition has commented that the communications director of Isabel Díaz Ayuso “He made jokes predicting what was going to happen the next day” and, once Begoña Gómez’s judicial summons was known, “everyone boasted proudly about what had happened.”

“It is enough regrettable“, he stated, predicting that this “will turn against those who believe that this is the center of citizens’ attention at a time when what we have to debate is how we solve problems and not how we cloud or generate doubts in the institutions”.

The role of the judge

Asked if she attributes what Sánchez himself has coined as “the mud machine” to the right and the extreme right or also to certain judges, Ribera pointed out that “institutions deserve respect” and “include the judiciary”, but has remembered that this “renewal is still pending“.

“What message is sent when this renewal of the CGPJ is not taken care of when we find ourselves with these decisions that contrast with what has been normal practice?” he questioned. “It remains to be seen, we must be cautious in assessing what the judges do… but it’s a bit flashy“, the candidate has stressed.

Despite everything, Ribera has assured that he trusts in Justice, although there are things that seem “more convincing” than others and some even “contradictory.” “The news we have to date still leaves many gaps about how it has been interpreted, what has happened or is happening for such a decision to be made,” he insisted, regarding the case of Begoña Gómez.

Finally, when asked if Judge Peinado could be prevaricating, Ribera has chosen to be “prudent”, but has settled: “It’s all being very crude”.