the Iñaki Urdangarín scandal - all articles/discussion here!

[Jenee]

Ouch.

BBC News

He has been removed from official duties while his business dealings are investigated, and the Royal Family has announced it will disclose the breakdown of its annual spending for the first time.

Spain's king blocks scandal-hit son-in-law from royal duties

King of Spain's son-in-law dropped from official duties following corruption scandal

Spain removes King Juan Carlos' son-in-law from official engagements over corruption probe

[cinrit]

Spanish King Forced Son-In-Law to Quit Job in 2006

MADRID — King Juan Carlos told his son-in-law in 2006 to cut ties with a company now mired in corruption allegations, an official at Spain's royal palace said Sunday.

Authorities are probing the activities of a non-profit company run by Inaki Urdangarin between 2004 and 2006.

"(The king) ordered him to stand down from his activities and he sold his shares," said the official, who works at the royal palace's press office, confirming reports in the Spanish press.

"He was told he shouldn't work for himself and it would be better if he worked overseas."

Urdangarin, 43, also known as the Duke of Palma de Mallorca, now works for Spanish telecommunications giant Telefonica in Washington, where he lives with with his wife, Infanta Cristina.

The scandal, the first to hit Spain's royal family in years, centres on Urdangarin's time at the helm of the Instituto Noos, now suspected of siphoning off money from contracts paid by the regional government of the Balearic Islands, where the institute is based.

The royal palace did not uncover any lies or fraud in 2006, the source said.

Read more:  http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j8Z6stgTvuaKuAvSkIgExzoTXtgw?docId=CNG.75219850d9c92ba8488504d320a98634.131 

Cindy

[cinrit]

Witnesses in Spain Probe Say They Couldn't Refuse Royal In-Law

MADRID – Several witnesses who have testified in the Spanish judicial investigation of Iñaki Urdangarin for alleged corruption said that their companies signed contracts with him because he is the son-in-law of King Juan Carlos.

That is what has emerged from the judicial case summary that became available last week after Urdangarin and associate Diego Torres were officially accused of pocketing 5.8 million euros ($7.5 million) in public funds while running a non-profit foundation.

But Instituto Noos also won contracts from private businesses, including several professional soccer clubs.

The former president of the Valencia soccer club, Juan Bautista Soler, told the police that he "felt obligated" to give money to Instituto Noos "because it was Iñaki Urdangarin who asked for it."

He did that, he said, in spite of thinking that "there was something that stunk" and not being clear what the money was to be used for.

Read more:  http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=458649&CategoryId=12395 

Cindy

[PrincessOfPeace]

A Spanish judge has moved a step closer to charging Princess Cristina, the sister of newly proclaimed King Felipe, in a tax fraud and money-laundering investigation involving her husband.

Palma de Mallorca investigative magistrate Jose Castro today kept Cristina on a list of suspects he thinks should stand trial as he wrapped up a four-year pre-trial investigation.

More: King Felipe of Spain's sister Princess Cristina facing tax fraud and money-laundering trial | Mail Online

[Curryong]

Christina's brother won't be protecting her at all, or her husband. Felipe has already signalled as much. He and Letizia have been distancing themselves from this pair for the last couple of years.

[Blue Clover]

Curryong,
I do remember hearing something about Letizia and Felipe distancing themselves from Christina and Inaki when this scandal first began. I am sure they want to keep their reign as "clean" and scandal-free as possible, given all the previous King went through, they really have to set themselves apart and give the people of Spain an opportunity to judge them on their own merits. I highly doubt they will do anything to make sure Christina receives special favors legally. I am sure it was much harder for Juan Carlos to distance himself from his own daughter and probably got involved on some level. Although, I think it will be extremely difficult for every member of this family if there is a high profile trail of any kind and they have to watch Christina and Inaki go through it.

[cinrit]

Urdangarin Devised Corruption Scheme, Nóos Accountant Confesses

The former accountant at Iñaki Urdangarin's Nóos Institute has agreed to cooperate with the prosecutor as part of a corruption investigation into the organization's activities.

Marco Antonio Tejeiro, who is an official suspect in the case, has revealed to prosecutor Pedro Horrach how the network of individual companies surrounding the institute run by Princess Cristina's husband really functioned, including how fake invoices and fictional employment contracts were used to generate tax benefits and how funds were shared out among the partners.

The prosecutor delivered the written statement of agreement signed by Tejeiro – who is the brother-in-law of Diego Torres, Urdangarin's partner at Nóos – and lawyer Daniel Pérez-Esqué to the Palma de Mallorca court at midday on Thursday following secret conversations between the parties. As a result of his confession and expression of remorse, it is likely that Tejeiro will receive a reduction to any prison sentence he might later be given.

More: Urdangarin devised corruption scheme, Nóos accountant confesses | In English | EL PAÍS

Cindy

[TLLK]

Infanta Cristina will have to pay a fine of 500,000 Euros. (Sorry all the articles I've seen are in Spanish.) I'll try and find more later.

[Blue Clover]

King of Spain's sister charged with tax fraud in corruption probe | Daily Mail Online

[Limabeany]

 :o The plot thickens...  :(

BBC News - Tax trial confirmed for Spain's Princess Cristina

Spanish King Felipe VI's sister Princess Cristina could face trial after a Spanish court upheld tax fraud charges against her.

However, the high court in Palma de Mallorca dropped money-laundering charges.

The charges relate to business dealings by her husband, Inaki Urdangarin.

Judges have been investigating allegations that the princess's husband embezzled millions in public funds with a former business partner and that the princess had knowingly benefited from the dealings.

Her husband, Mr Urdangarin, stands accused with 15 others of embezzling 5.6m euros (£4.6m; $7.5m) of public money from the Noos Institute - a charitable sports foundation that used to be presided over by Mr Urdangarin.

Money laundering charges against Spanish princess dropped - Telegraph

It is not clear yet whether Princess Cristina will face a judge as Spanish law allows the accused to escape trial if the victim of a crime – in this case the Spanish state – does not support the charges.

Investigations have unearthed high-level corruption across Spain involving players ranging from politicians to bankers and trade unions, and encompassing backhanders at town halls to unchecked spending on company credit cards.

The rulings from the High Court are one of the last steps before a trial that could require Princess Cristina to appear in court, prolonging the embarrassment of Spain's royal family under newly-crowned King Felipe VI.

Urdangarin, 46, a former Olympic handball player, is accused of using his connections to win public contracts to put on events through his non-profit Noos Foundation, and of embezzling millions of euros in public funds.

He has been charged with breach of legal duty, embezzling public funds, fraud, influence-peddling and money-laundering.

[cinrit]

Spanish Court Drops 1 Charge Against Princess Cristina, Maintains 2

A court in Spain on Friday dropped the most serious charge facing Princess Cristina, a sister of King Felipe VI, raising the possibility that she could avoid a court trial in a financial scandal.

The Provincial Court in Palma de Mallorca threw out a charge of money laundering but allowed two charges of tax fraud to stand, according to the court order.

It was not immediately clear whether the alleged crimes, as charged, would mean a trial for the princess. A magistrate who has been investigating the financial scandal for several years will have to determine whether to do so, an official at the court told CNN.

A court trial of a member of the Spanish royal family would be unprecedented.

More: Spanish court drops 1 charge against princess, keeps 2 - CNN.com

Cindy

[Blue Clover]

I see. They dropped one charge, but two charges still stand.

[TLLK]

Why does she smile entering the courthouse? So many famous people do, mostly the accused ones. The ones who are bringing up a complaint treat it with seriousness and don;t see it as a photo op, I don;t understand why so many accused celebs smile.  :shrug: It makes them appear smug.

Good question Limabeany. I wonder if it's a nervous habit or an attempt to appear confident.

[TLLK]

Spanish press is now stating that Cristina will renounce her succession rights in the upcoming weeks. What is not known is will it impact her children and will the couple keep their ducal title bestowed on their wedding day.
Double post auto-merged: November 11, 2014, 05:44:53 PM

Update: The children of Cristina and Inaki will keep their succession rights. IMO this is the decent position to take.

[Limabeany]

I agree, it is thoughtful or her.

[TLLK]

I agree. I just can't see how the situation could continue for the Infanta to keep her place in succession and the SRF with the case against the Dukes of Palma.

[TLLK]

From what I understand she will pay a fine and he's looking at almost 20 years in prison.

[cinrit]

King's Sister Pays €587k Bond in Fraud Case

The princess paid the €587,413 ($729,500) public liability bond after a recent demand from the public prosecutor in the case, Pedro Horrach, Spain's 20 minutos newspaper reported.

The sum totals half the funds allegedly obtained illegally via Aizoon, a company Cristina jointly held with her husband Iñaki Urdangarin and which investigators say was used as a front for laundering public money embezzled from a charitable sports foundation.

Cristina's lawyer, Miquel Roca, had earlier said the money would be paid immediately to free Cristina of "both civil and criminal responsibility".

Cristina is still facing two charges of tax fraud in the case which has damaged the Spanish monarchy. A judge is set to decide if she will appear before Christmas.

More: King's sister pays ?587k bond in fraud case - The Local

Cindy