Juan Carlos Peinado, the investigating judge in the case involving Begoña Gómez, has summoned Francisco Martín Aguirre, the current government delegate in Madrid, to testify as an accused party.

This pertains to Aguirre's possible involvement in the hiring of Cristina Álvarez, an assistant to Gómez, when he served as the Secretary General of the Presidency.

In an order from the court, the judge partially accepted a lawsuit filed by the political party Vox, scheduling Aguirre’s testimony for May 14 on suspicion of misappropriation of public funds concerning Álvarez's appointment as an advisor to Gómez in 2018. This inquiry is part of a separate investigation into this specific hiring decision.

However, the judge determined that there is no evidence of wrongdoing by Begoña Gómez or Cristina Álvarez in the central case, which Vox had also alleged in its legal complaint.

In April, Félix Bolaños, the Minister of the Presidency and the Secretary General of the Presidency at the time of Álvarez's hiring, testified as a witness in this separate proceeding.

His name was mentioned by both the investigated persons and Alfredo González, the former Deputy Secretary of the Presidency who proposed Álvarez’s appointment.

The lawsuit filed by Vox in January, which was initially assigned to another court, charged Gómez, Álvarez, and Aguirre with misappropriation of public funds, influence peddling, and administrative prevarication.

Details within the lawsuit highlight that Aguirre was Secretary General of the Presidency in July 2021 and held hierarchical responsibility over Álvarez, who was working as an advisor to Gómez at that time.

The judge noted that the complaint against Aguirre was substantiated by his apparent role in Álvarez's appointment, which was funded by the state budget, thereby involving public resources.

In contrast, the judge stated that it is unclear how Álvarez could be held criminally responsible for carrying out her assigned duties and receiving remuneration, asserting no criminal liability could be associated with her role in this situation.

This rationale similarly applied to Gómez, who, according to the judge, does not appear to have been involved in the hiring process or the payment of wages to Álvarez, as her utilization of professional services does not constitute criminal activity.

Regarding the alleged influence peddling, the judge found no grounds to attribute such conduct to any of the three accused, as it remains uncertain who might have exerted influence over the individual responsible for making Álvarez's appointment.

The judge also dismissed the claims of administrative prevarication, concluding that any potential misconduct is more in line with procedural irregularities rather than severe violations of law.

In a related development, the judge has requested the Complutense University to provide information concerning the hiring of Blanca de Juan de Castro, who coordinated a master's program managed by Begoña Gómez.

This request includes details about the selection process, her functions, and compensation.

Peinado is also scheduled to obtain statements from Moncloa's personnel department regarding the appointment of Cristina Álvarez, along with testimonies from representatives of various companies that funded software linked to the master's program co-directed by Gómez.