Former King Of Spain Is Leaving Country Amid Investigations Into Financial Dealings
The former king of Spain, Juan Carlos I, is leaving the
country, he announced in a letter to his son, the current king, on Monday. He
is being investigated for possible financial improprieties.
"A year ago, I expressed my will and desire to stop
performing institutional activities. Now, guided by the conviction to perform
the best service to the Spanish people, their institutions and you as King, I
am communicating my thoughtful decision to move, at this time, outside of
Spain," Carlos wrote to his successor King Felipe VI.
"A decision I make with sadness, but with great
serenity. I have been King of Spain for almost forty years and, during all of
them, I have always wanted the best for Spain and for the Crown."
The move comes as Spanish and Swiss authorities are
investigating the former monarch's finances. Spain's supreme court this year
opened an investigation into Carlos' personal Swiss bank account, in which he
allegedly hid $100 million given to him by the then-king of Saudi Arabia in
2008.
Carlos' self-exile marks a stark fall from grace for the man
who many credit with ushering Spain into democracy from dictatorship. He led
the country for 39 years, from 1975 until 2014, when he abdicated his throne in
favor of King Felipe amid reports that he had engaged in tax evasion,
extramarital affairs and elephant hunting.
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