MADRID, July 30 (Reuters) - Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declined to testify on Tuesday as a witness in a judicial investigation into alleged corruption and influence peddling against his wife that led him to consider resigning in April, lawyers present at the hearing said.

The proceedings are part of a preliminary investigation into whether Begona Gomez used her position as the premier’s wife to secure sponsors for a university master’s degree course that she ran.

Sanchez has repeatedly denied the accusations against her, saying they were baseless and orchestrated by right-wing political foes, and on Tuesday, the state attorney’s office filed a lawsuit on his behalf against the investigating judge for alleged malfeasance.

“This lawsuit is intended to respect the independence of the judiciary, but also to defend it from the practices of those who operate for political motives and outside the law,” government spokesperson Pilar Alegria said.