Judge Accuses Spanish Princess of Money Laundering and Tax Fraud
PARIS
— Princess Cristina, the younger daughter of King Juan Carlos of Spain,
was formally accused of money laundering and tax fraud by a magistrate
on Tuesday and was summoned to appear in court on March 8. She is the
first close relative of a Spanish monarch in modern history to face the
prospect of a criminal trial.
The
accusations arise from a long-running corruption investigation that has
also ensnared the princess’s husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, a businessman
and former Olympic handball player who is fighting charges of fraud, tax
evasion and embezzlement. Both the princess and Mr. Urdangarin, who has
been accused of embezzling 6 million euros, about $8.2 million, in
government money though a foundation he set up to organize sports
conferences, have publicly denied the charges.
José Castro, an examining magistrate from Palma, Majorca, lodged the accusations against the princess in a 200-page ruling.
The
widely publicized investigation has badly dented the standing of the
royal family with the Spanish public. In a new poll by Sigma Dos, a
broad majority said they believe the monarchy mishandled the case, and
many of them said they think the king, who is 76, should abdicate.
The
case against Princess Cristina, 48, has been marked by public sparring
among legal authorities. Mr. Castro’s ruling challenged the
recommendations of an anticorruption prosecutor, who said last month
that there was no evidence the princess had committed crimes.
Mr.
Castro, who has been pursuing the investigation for more than three
years, accused the princess once before, only to have the accusations
set aside by a higher court, which gave more time to Mr. Castro to
investigate.
He
has been concentrating on the personal finances of the princess for the
last nine months, including her purchase of a mansion in Barcelona.
The
princess was a director of her husband’s institute, and the couple
jointly owned a real estate company, Aizoon, which investigators suspect
was a front for money laundering and tax evasion.
No comments:
Post a Comment