Spain’s ex-King Juan Carlos in alleged Saudi bribe probe
Supreme Court prosecutors have opened a probe into alleged
money laundering after he lost immunity from prosecution when he abdicated in
2014. A Swiss newspaper claimed the king had received $100 million in Saudi
bribes.
Prosecutors of Spain’s Supreme Court on Monday announced an
investigation into former King Juan Carlos in connection to a contract awarded
to Spanish companies to build a high-speed railway in Saudi Arabia.
The investigation is the result of a separate probe by
Spain’s anti-corruption prosecutors into bribes allegedly paid to a Spanish
consortium to build the railway connecting Medina and Mecca.
The Supreme Court prosecutor now wants to see whether the
former king had taken any action relevant to the case after he lost immunity
from prosecution when he abdicated in favour of his son, King Felipe VI.
“This investigation focuses, precisely, on establishing or
discarding the criminal relevance of deeds that happened after June 2014, when
the King Emeritus was no longer protected by inviolability,” said a statement.
Money laundering probe
Former King Juan Carlos allegedly received $100 million (€89
million) in bribes from Saudi Arabia a decade ago, according to a report
published by the Swiss newspaper La Tribune.
Around $65 million of that was reportedly given to German businesswoman
Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, La Tribute reported.
Although the funds in question were allegedly provided to
the former king in 2008 when he still enjoyed immunity, Supreme Court
prosecutors are probing whether he laundered part of that money after he
abdicated in 2014.
Under a deal struck during his abdication, the former king
can only face prosecution from Spain’s Supreme Court.
Neither the former king nor Spain’s royal family had
publicly commented on the news at the time of publication.
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