The Badajoz provincial court delivered its verdict today, Tuesday, in the highly politicised 'Azagra case', finding that local authorities manipulated a 2017 civil service recruitment drive to hand-pick the prime minister's brother.

The sentence, which can be appealed before the High Court of Justice of Extremadura, also handed an 18-year disqualification to Miguel Ángel Gallardo, the former president of the Badajoz provincial council and former leader of the regional Socialist Party (PSOE).

Nine other co-defendants, including local politicians and career civil servants, were sentenced to nine-year bans.

A custom-made appointment

The prosecution's case focused on three key areas: the initial 2017 hiring of David Sánchez as coordinator of conservatory music activities; the subsequent 2023 renaming of his post to Head of the Performing Arts Office without an open public tender; and the controversial hiring of his close friend, Luis Carrero, between 2023 and 2024.

During the investigation, leaked emails between Sánchez and Carrero, who was working as an adviser at the Moncloa prime ministerial palace before joining the local council, revealed the pair addressing each other as "hermanito" (little brother).

The trial, which ran from 28 May to 9 June, was triggered in May 2024 by a criminal complaint from the pressure group Manos Limpias. It eventually drew in six other private prosecution groups, including Spain’s main opposition party, the Popular Party (PP), and the far-right Vox.

While state prosecutors had recommended a full acquittal for all defendants, the private prosecutors had campaigned for prison sentences of up to six years for the prime minister's brother.

Key testimonies

Out of 53 witnesses who testified, two proved decisive for the judges. Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Balas, of the Guardia Civil’s elite Central Operational Unit (UCO), testified that his team's forensic financial and administrative investigation left no doubt that Gallardo had tailored the post specifically for David Sánchez.

Furthermore, orchestral conductor Cristina de Frutos testified that the selection process was a sham, telling the court that "equal opportunities were not respected" and that she was not asked a single question during the interview that ultimately led to the appointment of the prime minister's brother.

Sentence and fallout

The court convicted Gallardo of two counts of administrative malfeasance (abuse of office), each carrying a consecutive nine-year disqualification. David Sánchez and the remaining nine defendants were convicted of a single count of the same offence, resulting in a flat nine-year ban from public service.

Those convicted alongside Sánchez include the current provincial deputy for culture, Ricardo Cabezas, his two predecessors, and four senior administrative officials. The court found them guilty as "indispensable accomplices" for facilitating the rigged appointment.

If the ruling is upheld on appeal by the Extremadura High Court, the career civil servants involved will permanently lose their State employment.