Spain's Princess Cristina has tax fraud charges upheld but could escape trial
- 10 years ago
The sister of the Spanish king could in theory face a public trial after tax fraud charges against her were upheld by Mallorca’s high court.
Money laundering charges Princess Cristina was also facing were dropped. This means there is a chance she could avoid a trial, a fact which has angered many Spanish people.
The law in Spain gives judges discretionary powers to drop tax fraud charges if they are brought by a private plaintiff – in this case an anti-corruption group – and not a public prosecutor.
Her lawyer, Miquel Roca, says the case should be scrapped.
“There are enough legal precedents, and legal rulings in the past to establish that it wouldn’t be legitimate to take this case any further,” he said.
The court’s decision is the latest turn in a long-running scandal. The Princess was charged along with 16 others, including her husband Inaki Urdangarin, a former Olympic medal-winning handball player, with embezzling public funds of around six million euros.
King Felipe VI has distanced himself from his sister and Cristina was absent from his coronation earlier this year. She and her husband have been barred from official royal events since the investigation began.
Money laundering charges Princess Cristina was also facing were dropped. This means there is a chance she could avoid a trial, a fact which has angered many Spanish people.
The law in Spain gives judges discretionary powers to drop tax fraud charges if they are brought by a private plaintiff – in this case an anti-corruption group – and not a public prosecutor.
Her lawyer, Miquel Roca, says the case should be scrapped.
“There are enough legal precedents, and legal rulings in the past to establish that it wouldn’t be legitimate to take this case any further,” he said.
The court’s decision is the latest turn in a long-running scandal. The Princess was charged along with 16 others, including her husband Inaki Urdangarin, a former Olympic medal-winning handball player, with embezzling public funds of around six million euros.
King Felipe VI has distanced himself from his sister and Cristina was absent from his coronation earlier this year. She and her husband have been barred from official royal events since the investigation began.