A massive majority of Spaniards believe corruption in the country has skyrocketed under the government of Pedro Sanchez.
The findings come from a new report published by the European Commission, which notes that this perception has especially worsened in the last five years – affecting not just the average citizen but companies and the judicial system.
The Special Eurobarometer survey found that Spain scores highly on the perceived corruption indexes compared to its European counterparts.
It comes after a turbulent week in which Sanchez’ family has been under fire for various corruption scandals.
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Spain scored just 55 out of 100 in the Corruption Perception Index 2025, placing it seventeenth in the European Union and 49th worldwide.
According to the new survey, 92% of Spanish citizens consider that corruption is widespread, far above the European average of 71%. Moreover, 53% say they feel personally affected by corruption, in comparison to the 30% of the European average.
The document released this Friday comes on the back of a period of chaos.
Last Thursday, a court ruled that Begona Gomez, Pedro Sanchez’s wife, will stand trial for charges of influence peddling and embezzlement.
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The ruling came just two days after a ruling against David Sanchez, the prime minister’s brother, who is now barred from public office for nine years.
He had been working a role that was specifically created for him.
Meanwhile, former transport minister Jose Luis Abalos was convicted last month over illegal pandemic mask contracts.
In response to the recent rulings, several Sanchez allies have attacked the decisions, calling them ‘a judicial conspiracy’ and ‘politically motivated cases’ which amount to ‘lawfare’.
Judges and legal professionals continue to show concern. The Constitutional Court warns that statements against judges contribute to eroding public trust in the justice system.
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The EU Commission has warned Sanchez’ government that: “All powers of the state – executive, legislative and judicial – must act with mutual respect to guarantee proper functioning.”
This is not the first time Sanchez’ government is being put on the spot by the EU Commission. Last year former attorney general Alvaro Garcia Ortiz was found guilty in a controversial case over the leaking of confidential information.
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Anyone who has spent any significant time in Spain, knows that 9 out of 10 Spaniards think that corruption has skyrocketed under every single prime minister in the past 45 years.
Anyway, I cannot take an “expat newspaper” seriously. We’ve lived through worse times than this. We had a major party involved in a kickback scheme, including their leader at the time (“M. Rajoy”, anyone?) like 15 years ago. In the early 2000s, the largest telecom company in Spain was sold for pennies by a close friend of the prime minister.
Yeah, in 2018, the Spanish socialists came to power on the promise of clean politics that works for the people.
In June 2026, Spain's supreme court jailed Sanchez ally and former transport minister José Luis Ábalos to 24 in prison for taking bribes on public contracts.
A few weeks later, the Spanish prime minister's brother David Sanchez was convicted of nepotism and banned from holding public office for 9 years.
Just a week ago, former Socialist prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said that €1.3 million of jewellery seized by police as part of an investigation was a personal gift he received years ago and was never intended for financial gain.
An investigation in June led to a 12-hour police raid on Socialist Party HQ in Madrid. The allegation is that the party paid member Leire Díez to carry out a campaign to discredit police, judges and prosecutors who were investigating existing cases, such as that affecting Cerdán, who has been named as a suspect in this probe.
And this is not everything.
The socialists are the same as the conservatives, the difference is just rhetoric. These politicians don't care for the people either but rather work for themselves.