Spain’s Princess Cristina could face trial over corruption charges
A Spanish court has upheld corruption charges against Princess Cristina, less than a week after her brother Felipe VI became the new king of Spain, paving the way for an unprecedented criminal trial that could further damage the country’s embattled monarchy.
The case centres on Cristina’s husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, who also faces charges for fraud, falsifying documents and embezzlement.
The former Olympic medal-winning handball player ran a charitable foundation, the Nóos Institute. Under the banner of consultancy and organising sports and tourism conferences, it is alleged Urdangarin and his former business partner Diego Torres used their connections to win public contracts, overcharged for services and stashed the money in privately owned companies and offshore tax havens.
Cristina was board member of the Nóos Institute and with her husband was the co-owner of another company, Aizoon. On Wednesday morning, investigating judge José Castro said that his three-year long investigation provided evidence that Cristina used Aizoon as a front to launder embezzled money, spending the funds on items such as home renovations, salsa classes, clothing and luxury trips.
Both the princess and her husband have denied any wrongdoing.
The judge’s order comes less than a week after Cristina’s brother Felipe VI ascended to the throne of Spain. In his first speech as king, he vowed to move the monarchy away from its scandal-plagued past, promising an “honest and transparent monarchy”.
Wednesday’s court ruling puts the graft scandal that dogged the twilight of Juan Carlos’s reign back in the headlines – a scandal that was widely believed to be one of the reasons behind his abdication earlier this month.
The final decision on whether Cristina and her husband will stand trial will be taken by a court in Palma de Mallorca, likely in September, after considering any appeals. The pair’s defence lawyers are expected to appeal against Wednesday’s order.
In February, the 49-year-old princess made headlines around the world when she appeared in court to answer questions about her role in one of Spain’s longest-running corruption scandals.
More than 400 questions were put to Cristina during her six-hour court appearance. During her testimony, she told the court that she had trusted her husband to manage their finances, answering 182 times that she did not know the answer to the question he asked. On another 55 occasions, she said that she did not remember certain situations or events being described.
Source: theguardian
