After months of accusations and counter-accusations, it’s finally happened and a Judge has ordered that the Infanta Cristina, King Juan Carlos of Spain’s youngest daughter, by prosecuted for tax evasion and money laundering.
The accusations come after her husbands long court case over allegations that he used his royal connections to siphon millions of euros from the public coffers of the Balearic Islands, together with crooked politicians, in a case called the Caso Noos.
During the investigations, the prosecutors have come ever closer to finding direct links implicating the Infanta in the thefts of money, such as her personal bank accounts being used to siphon the cash; her signature on fake invoices, “irregularities” on her income tax IRPF and her grubby little paws on the credit cards.
However, prosecuting a Royal Princess isn’t easy, but the Judge in
his summary, José Castro, says that “Urdangarin [her husband] could not have carried out these frauds without her direct involvement” and that “at best, she limited herself to looking the other way”. In a closely worded 227 page ruling, he attributed to her charges which total 6 to 8 years in jail, plus a fine which could be six times what the couple allegedly stole from the public purse.
Any person not protected by her Royal pedigree would already be on trial, he concluded, and added that her condition did not protect her from natural justice.
She has been called to testify at 10am on the 9th of March 2014 in the Courts of the Balearic Islands, in Palma.
It’s the second time the Princess has been prosecuted; the first time, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor General said the case was flawed and managed to get it thrown out of court. But new evidence has since appeared directly implicating her, and the Spanish press is broadly in favour of justice being seen to be done.
The prosecution announcement comes just three days after the Royal Household said that the involvement of the Princess was a travesty and a nightmare, and that she should be cleared as quickly as possible.
The legal team of the Princess have already announced that the allegations are nonsense, and that they will appeal at once to have the case thrown out of court again.