Spanish PM Sanchez's brother convicted in nepotism case

MADRID, July 14 - David Sanchez, the brother of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, was convicted of administrative misconduct on Tuesday and banned from holding public office for nine years over his appointment to a senior cultural post by the provincial government of Badajoz in 2017.

The ruling deals a fresh political blow to the Socialist premier, whose government and inner circle have faced a series of corruption-related investigations and scandals over the past two years. Last month, a former close aide to Sanchez was sentenced to 24 years in prison in a separate corruption case.

David Sanchez had been accused of benefiting from an appointment specifically tailored to him due to his family connection to the prime minister, who dismissed the accusation as part of a politically-motivated campaign driven by the far right.

The Badajoz court found that the position awarded to Sanchez, overseeing the province's music conservatories, was created without any genuine administrative need and responded instead to his personal interests.

"The defendants engaged in a grossly arbitrary exercise of power with the sole aim of favouring specific individuals," the ruling said, adding that one of the posts was later modified to accommodate David Sanchez's interest in opera.

The ruling can be appealed. REUTERS