Former King Juan Carlos of Spain.Photo: Carlos Alvarez/Getty
Spanish prosecutors have cleared the way for Spain’s former King Juan Carlos I to return home.
The 84-year old royal fled his country in August 2020 amidallegations of tax fraud and money laundering. Since his sudden departure, he has beenliving in self-imposed exilein the United Arab Emirates.
On Wednesday, Spain’s Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that it has dropped three separate investigations into the former King’s financial affairs, citing insufficient evidence, the statute of limitations, and immunity he held while serving as head of state.
In making its announcement, the Spanish prosecutor stressed its decision did not mean absolution.
“The public prosecutor wishes to make it clear that, despite the investigation, no criminal action can be taken against His Majesty Juan Carlos de Borbón for the reasons outlined in the decree – basically the lack of incriminating evidence, the statute of limitations, the inviolability of the head of state, and tax regularisation,” the Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement read, according toThe Guardian.
King Juan Carlos of Spain.Daniel Perez/Getty
According to Spanish media reports, Juan Carlos' attorney Javier Sancho-Junco hailed the decision and will shortly travel to the U.A.E. to discuss the ex-King’s next moves with him.
Wednesday’s announcement conceded that investigators were unable to “to establish, even indirectly, any link between the aforementioned ($100 million) sum… and the awarding of the project for the construction of a high-speed rail line in Saudi Arabia, nor, similarly, has it found that the sum was related to any kind of commission.”
Juan Carlos served as King from 1975 until he abdicated in favor of his son in 2014. A controversial figure in the country’s transition after the Franco dictatorship, his resignation occurred amid a series of embarrassing scandals for the royal family.
King Felipe VI of Spain and King Juan Carlos in 2018.Carlos R. Alvarez/WireImage
The Spanish prosecutor’s decision to drop the investigations does not end Juan Carlos' legal woes. In December, a case began in London’s High Court with Sayn-Wittgenstein accusing her former lover of having used Spain’s secret service to spy on her and her children. She is seeking damages for mental pain and anguish.
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At the preliminary hearing, lawyers for Juan Carlos introduced a claim of immunity as a potential defense, saying the only way he could order the secret service into action was to have been head of state at the time.
source: people.com
