Alex Trelinski
PROSECUTORS in Spain are shelving two corruption probes involving former monarch, Juan Carlos, due to a lack of evidence.
It’s more good news for the Emeritus King after a Swiss money laundering investigation was dropped in mid-December.
Juan Carlos, 84, moved to the United Arab Emirates in mid-2020 after judicial probes over possible financial wrongdoings emerged.
Public prosecutors were investigating €65 million pocketed by the ex-monarch over the awarding of a high speed rail contract in Saudi Arabia.
They said they could find no link between the gift to Juan Carlos paid into a Swiss-based foundation that he was involved with and the contract award.
Another element is that if money laundering took place between different funds in 2012, any possible fraud had ‘timed out’ as it fell out of the statute of limitations.
The other investigation involved the operation of an offshore fund in Jersey and the use of credit cards.
Yet again, prosecutors could not uncover enough evidence of wrong-doing by Juan Carlos.
The probes did allow €5.1 million to be recovered in fines and taxes for income that Juan Carlos had failed to declare to tax authorities, the prosecutors said in their conclusions.
It’s not the end of the former monarch’s legal concerns, as an ex-mistress is suing him for harassment and employing spies to follow her.
Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, 56, claims he falsely accused her of stealing €65 million.
Juan Carlos abdicated in favour of his son Felipe VI in 2014 following a series of scandals in the royal family.
Since becoming king, Felipe has tried to distance himself from his father to rebuild the Spanish crown’s image.
READ MORE:
- From hero to zero: The scandalous story of Spain’s royal rogue King Juan Carlos
- Former Spanish king Juan Carlos gets good news over Saudi Arabia bung investigation
- Spain’s Emeritus King Juan Carlos coughs up another massive chunk of his tax bill
