Spains Princess Cristina to face fraud charges
A Spanish court has upheld fraud charges against Princess Cristina, the sister of King Felipe VI in a tax fraud and money laundering case involving her husband.…
Wrapping up a four-year pre-trial investigation, Palma de Mallorca investigative magistrate Jose Castro kept Cristina on the list of suspects he thinks should stand trial, in her case of money laundering and tax fraud cooperation. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
A Spanish court has upheld fraud charges against Princess Cristina, the sister of King Felipe VI in a tax fraud and money laundering case involving her husband.
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Princess Cristina will face charges of tax evasion and money laundering linked to her husbands business dealings, a Spanish judge ruled, opening the path to an unprecedented criminal trial.
According to the AP, the case centers on allegations that Urdangarin used his Duke of Palma title to embezzle some 6 million euros ($8 million dollars) in public contracts through the Noos Institute, a nonprofit foundation he and a business partner set up that channeled money to other businesses, including Aizoon, a company he owned with Cristina.
The tax fraud case was one of several scandals that weakened the popularity of the Spanish monarchy.
Spains newly crowned King Felipe VI, top center, accompanied by his wife Queen Letizia, top right, Princess Sofia, bottom right, Princess Leonor, and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, top second left, waves as they arrive at the Parliament in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, June 19, 2014.
The filing comes just days after Princess Cristina’s brother ascended the throne as Felipe VI, following the abdication of their father, King Juan Carlos.
During his proclamation speech in Parliament on Thursday, Felipe promised lawmakers integrity and transparency as part of a renovated monarchy for a new time. Neither his sister nor his father attended the ceremony.
The investigation has already lasted three years and has been led by Jose Castro, a judge based in Palma, on the Mediterranean island of Majorca.
In a 167-page filing, Judge Castro said there was evidence that Cristina profited personally and helped her husband with his suspect business activities.
Castro said there was evidence that the couple had paid for dozens of personal items, “from parking tickets to children’s birthday parties to a trip to Rio de Janeiro out of a shell company he said was used to launder proceeds from the Noos Foundation.”
Both the princess and her husband have denied any wrongdoing.
SEE ALSO: Princess Cristina: A love story that could ruin the Spanish Monarchy
