Advertisement

Top lawyer slams court call-up for King's sister

George Mills/The Local/AFP
George Mills/The Local/AFP - [email protected]
Top lawyer slams court call-up for King's sister
Spain's Princess Cristina (second right) with her brother King Felipe (second left), her sister Elena and her husband Iñaki Urdangarin. Photo: AFP

A top anti-corruption prosecutor on Thursday appealed a 'biased' ruling that would see Spain's Princess Cristina, the sister of King Felipe, appear in court on tax fraud and money laundering charges.

Advertisement

On Wednesday, Mallorca judge José Castro, wrapped up two years of investigations into the affair by recommending any charges to be laid and any suspects to be put in the dock.

This would see Princess Cristina and her husband Iñaki Urdangarin face tax fraud and money laundering charges.

But on Thursday prosecutor Pedro Horrach appealed the decision, saying there was still no "concrete" information about any crimes that may have been committed by Cristina.

Horrach said Judge Castro had used questionable data to "make deeds look criminal", according to documents obtained by Spain's El País newspaper.

This could lead to "mere speculation, if not pure fiction," said the prosecutor in his damning appeal.

The charges against Cristina arose from "simple suppositions" and there was "incriminatory" evidence, he added.

Castroi delved into allegations that Cristina's husband and a former business partner creamed off €6 million ($8 million) in public funds from contracts awarded to a charitable foundation, Noos.

Cristina sat on the board of Noos and Urdangarin was its chairman.

Together with her husband, the princess jointly owned another company, Aizoon, which investigators suspect served as a front for laundering embezzled money.

Castro's ruling came less than a week after King Felipe, 46, took the Spanish throne promising an "honest and transparent" monarchy.

If Cristina sits in the dock, it will be the first time a direct relation of a Spanish monarch goes on trial.

Don't miss stories about Spain, join The Local on Facebook and Twitter.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also