Spanish princess Infanta Cristina summoned over fraud
The Infanta Cristina is seen here at a Mass in Madrid in June 2013
A
Spanish judge has summoned the youngest daughter of King Juan Carlos to
appear in court over accusations of fraud and money-laundering.
The Infanta Cristina, 48, has been linked to the business
affairs of her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, who is being investigated for
alleged embezzlement.
The princess is now a formal suspect and should appear in court on 8 March.
Continue reading the main story
Throughout this long-running, and very public scandal, Spain's
royal household has always tried to draw a line between direct members
of the royal family and the scandal surrounding the king's son-in-law,
Cristina's husband. That will now be a lot more difficult.
The princess did not have to appear last year in court because state lawyers appealed against the summons, and the regional court of Mallorca, which is managing the case, judged that the evidence linking Cristina to her husband's business dealings was insufficient. However preventing her appearance for a second time could prove much harder.
The year has not started well for King Juan Carlos. An opinion poll on Sunday suggested that 62% of Spaniards would like to see him abdicate, and the following day his advanced age and ill-health showed as he struggled to make a speech at an annual military event.
Analysis
The princess did not have to appear last year in court because state lawyers appealed against the summons, and the regional court of Mallorca, which is managing the case, judged that the evidence linking Cristina to her husband's business dealings was insufficient. However preventing her appearance for a second time could prove much harder.
The year has not started well for King Juan Carlos. An opinion poll on Sunday suggested that 62% of Spaniards would like to see him abdicate, and the following day his advanced age and ill-health showed as he struggled to make a speech at an annual military event.
It is believed to be the first time a direct relative of the king will appear in court accused of wrongdoing.
Palma de Mallorca court judge Jose Castro ordered the
princess to appear for questioning about her partnership with Mr
Urdangarin in a firm called Aizoon.
Last year, properties belonging to her husband were impounded
after allegations that Mr Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma, misused
millions of euros in public funds given to a charitable foundation he
ran.
The duke denied wrongdoing and was not charged with any crime.
One of the properties impounded is a large luxury house on
the outskirts of Barcelona belonging to the duke and the princess, who
currently lives in the Swiss city of Geneva.
The Infanta Cristina is the king's middle child. She has an
elder sister, Infanta Elena, and a younger brother, Crown Prince Felipe,
the heir apparent.
'Spaniards relieved'
Judge Castro issued the summons despite objections from the
anti-corruption prosecutor in the Balearic Islands, Pedro Horrach, who
said he saw no evidence linking the princess to her husband's alleged
wrongdoing, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reports.
When Judge Castro first tried to summon the princess last
April, the bid was blocked by the provincial court in Palma de Mallorca.
Inaki Urdangarin is seen here attending a court hearing in 2012
On that occasion, she would have been questioned over the
non-profit Noos Institute, which her husband had headed. The charitable
foundation had received millions of euros in public funds, which were
then allegedly embezzled.
The new court summons relates to Aizoon, a company which
investigators suspect served as a front for laundering the embezzled
funds.
The events are alleged to have happened between 2004 and 2006, when the duke stepped down as head of Noos.
Spanish journalist Miguel Anxo Murado told BBC World Service
there was a sense of satisfaction among Spaniards at the way the case
was being handled.
"Most people will tell you that they felt more relieved than
shocked and this includes even people who are sympathetic to the royal
family," he said.
"And this is because we had come to the point at which the
issue was no longer whether the princess was guilty of anything but
actually whether justice is the same for everybody in Spain. And this
will probably calm things down a little bit. Whether it will be
sufficient for many people in this environment of economic crisis, well
that remains to be seen."
'Maximum respect'
Responding to Tuesday's announcement, the royal household said it had "maximum respect for judicial decisions".
King Juan Carlos (left) is seen here with Crown Prince Felipe and Queen Sofia on Monday
News that the princess is now a formal suspect comes amid a
decline in popularity for the Spanish king, 76, whose image was dented
by a luxury elephant-hunting trip he made to Africa in 2012.
On Monday, he presided over a military parade on crutches at
Madrid's royal palace, having recently undergone hip replacement
surgery.
An opinion poll published on Sunday suggested that 62% of
Spaniards wanted him to abdicate and fewer than half supported the
monarchy in general.
However, the same Sigma Dos poll for El Mundo newspaper also
indicated that a majority supported Crown Prince Felipe and believed he
could restore the family's prestige.
Juan Carlos became king in 1975, when he oversaw the
country's transition from dictatorship under the late Gen Francisco
Franco to democracy.