For months, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain has faced calls from his political opponents to resign amid a growing barrage of corruption accusations involving his top allies, his brother and his wife.
On Thursday morning, a judge dealt the latest legal blow to Mr. Sánchez by placing the government-appointed director general of the Civil Guard, one of Spain’s two main police forces, under formal investigation. The case against the Civil Guard leader, Mercedes González, is part of a broader examination of whether members of Mr. Sánchez’s governing Socialist Party orchestrated a mudslinging campaign to undermine inquiries into Mr. Sánchez’s political allies and family.
Ms. González has denied any wrongdoing; she did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The investigation into Ms. González widens the gap between Mr. Sánchez’s international reputation and his domestic predicament. Abroad, Mr. Sánchez has won acclaim and admiration among the global left for clashing with President Trump on issues such as the Iran war and immigration.
At home, Mr. Sánchez is enmeshed in a spiraling political crisis that is linked to the corruption accusations. His minority government was already in a precarious position and has been unable to approve a budget for three years.
In a court filing reviewed by The New York Times, Santiago Pedraz, a judge, said that there were reasonable grounds to investigate Ms. González on accusations of misconduct in public office in relation to claims that Socialist Party officials had pressured police officers to undermine inquiries into Mr. Sánchez’s inner circle.
The office of Mr. Sánchez, who is not accused of wrongdoing himself, did not reply to a request for comment. The interior minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, expressed his support for Ms. González, saying that she would remain in her post.
Mr. Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, already faces a trial on accusations of influence peddling, and his brother, David Sánchez, is standing trial on similar charges.
A Socialist former prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, a key ally of Mr. Sánchez, is also under investigation about claims he received kickbacks worth up to about $2.4 million. José Luis Ábalos, a former top official in the Socialist Party and a former minister, was sentenced last week to 24 years in prison for bribery and corruption. Mr. Ábalos’s replacement in the party, Santos Cerdán, is under investigation on accusations of corruption and obstruction of justice.
The steady drip of judicial investigations, experts say, risks eroding Mr. Sánchez’s support ahead of elections planned for next year. The conservative opposition, and even lawmakers who are not officially part of his coalition but who voted him into power, have said the elections should be brought forward.
