Madrid: A Spanish court has ordered the return of the passport of Begona Gomez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, while ruling that legal proceedings against her will continue.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Madrid court dismissed two of the four allegations that had been brought against Gomez by investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado. She had initially faced accusations of influence peddling, business-related corruption, embezzlement, and abuse of office. However, she will now stand trial before a citizen jury for influence peddling and the misuse of public funds.

The court also lifted a precautionary measure under which Gomez's passport had been temporarily confiscated because of concerns that she might leave the country. The passport seizure had prevented Gomez from accompanying Sanchez to the NATO summit in Ankara. She was, however, granted special permission to travel to London to attend her daughter's graduation ceremony at the University of Bristol.

Following the ruling, the Spanish government reiterated its support for Gomez and maintained that she is innocent. Government sources said the case stemmed from "an unfounded complaint based on fake news" and described it as a politically motivated attempt to target the prime minister's wife, according to Spain's state news agency EFE. The case is ongoing.