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Spain's Princess Cristina in court over tax fraud claims Spain's Princess Cristina in court over tax fraud claims
(about 1 hour later)
Princess Cristina, the youngest daughter of King Juan Carlos of Spain, has been summoned to appear in court over allegations of tax fraud and money laundering, the superior justice tribunal of the Balearic Islands has said. The king of Spain's youngest daughter has been summoned to appear in court over money laundering and tax evasion allegations, in the latest blow to the Spanish royal family's reputation.
The princess's husband, former Olympic handball player Inaki Urdangarin, is being investigated over allegations of fraud, tax evasion, falsifying documents and embezzlement of €6m (£5m) in public funds through his charitable foundation, which ran sports business conferences in Mallorca and elsewhere in Spain. The charges relate to the alleged embezzlement of public funds by Princess Cristina's husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, and his business partner Diego Torres. Cristina – now a formal suspect – will have to testify in court in Palma de Mallorca on 8 March.
Cristina, 48, who has been linked to her husband's business affairs, and Urdangarin both deny any wrongdoing. She was summoned to appear in court on 8 March, paving the way for an unprecedented trial of a member of the royal family. Urdangarin and Torres are accused of pocketing €5.8m in public funds that were channelled through their not-for-profit Instituto Nóos and the family business Aizoon, of which Cristina is co-owner. The bulk of the money came from the regional governments of Valencia and the Balearic Islands, both of whose presidents have faced a string of corruption charges.
After a lengthy investigation, Palma de Mallorca examining magistrate José Castro said in a 200-page ruling that there was evidence the princess had committed crimes. Some of the claims against Urdangarin and Cristina relate to the €6m mansion the couple bought in Barcelona and the further €3m they spent on home improvements. The house has since been confiscated to cover Torres and Urdangarin's bail of €6.1m. The net began to close on Cristina when documents showed that she had signed herself as both owner and tenant of the palace.
The case is one of many high-level corruption scandals that have undermined Spaniards' faith in their public institutions at a time of severe economic crisis marked by deep cuts in public spending. José Castro, the investigating judge, claims that putting the princess on the stand will remove "any shadow of suspicion" that she is receiving special treatment. Ana María Tejeiro, Torres' wife, has been indicted since the start of the investigation while Cristina was treated as being above suspicion. "Are not all Spaniards equal before the law?" Tejeiro's lawyer asked the judge.
In April last year, Castro ruled that there was evidence Cristina had aided and abetted Urdangarin, but a higher court threw out the charges in May, concluding that there was insufficient evidence. Nevertheless, it gave Castro more time to investigate an accusation of tax fraud. Tuesday's news is the latest blow to the already battered image of the Spanish royal family. King Juan Carlos was crowned in 1975, two days after the death of the dictator Franco, and became the darling of the fledgling Spanish democracy when he played a key role in stopping an attempted military coup in 1981. From then on the Spanish royals were untouchable and when Cristina married Urdangarin in Barcelona in 1997, only weeks after Princess Diana's death, many in Spain hoped she would fill the Diana's shoes as a pretty, modern, self-assured princess.
In bringing the new charges, Castro went against the recommendations of the anti-corruption prosecutor on the case who argued in December that there was no evidence Princess Cristina committed crimes. The royals began to lose their shine, first with rumours of the king's extra-marital affairs and then the divorce of Cristina's older sister. Then, two years ago, Juan Carlos was photographed standing proudly next to the elephant he shot on a hunting trip in Botswana. This proved too much for many Spaniards. Not only was the king honorary president of the World Wildlife Fund but embarking on such an expensive trip in a country with more than five million people out of work seemed proof that the royals were out of touch.
In his 227-page decree, the judge says that it would have been "difficult for Urdangarin to defraud Inland Revenue without his wife's knowledge and acquiescence", adding that Cristina "chose to look the other way".
In the unlikely event that she is found guilty, Cristina faces up to six years in prison for money laundering and a fine of three times the value of the money laundered, as well as further punishment for tax evasion. Cristina and Urdangarin both deny any wrongdoing.
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