Overview

• Judge Beatriz Biedma has formally opened an oral trial against David Sánchez, Miguel Ángel Gallardo, and nine others on charges of prevarication and influence-peddling related to a 2017 job post in the Diputación de Badajoz.
• The trial advances despite unresolved appeals before the Audiencia Provincial, a procedural move criticized as unusual by the government and legal experts.
• Miguel Ángel Gallardo secured parliamentary immunity by registering as a deputy in the Extremadura Assembly just one day before the trial was announced.
• The Fiscalía has opposed the trial, arguing the case lacks conclusive evidence and is based on conjectures, while the defense has challenged the judge's decision-making process.
• The case has intensified scrutiny on the prime minister’s inner circle and sparked broader debates in Spain about judicial independence, political influence, and the use of aforamiento.