thinkSPAIN Logo
  • Buy

    Property for Sale

    • See all properties for sale
    • Start your search using our filters
    • Use our map search
    • Draw your search area
    • Where? Use our location filters

    Popular real estate searches

    Apartments/Flats Fincas/Country Houses Townhouses Villas
    Garden Lift Luxury New Build Parking/Garage Pool Sea View Terrace/Balcony
    Alicante Almería Barcelona Benahavís Calpe / Calp Calvià Cartagena Costa Blanca Costa del Sol Dénia Estepona Girona Gran Canaria Ibiza Los Alcázares Madrid Mallorca Marbella Mijas Murcia Málaga Orihuela Palma de Mallorca Tenerife Torrevieja Valencia
    Browse all locations and property types
  • Rent

    Property for Rent

    • See all properties for rent
    • Holiday rentals
    • Start your search using our filters
    • Use our map search
    • Draw your search area

    Popular rental searches

    Apartments/Flats Fincas/Country Houses Townhouses Villas
    Garden Lift Mountain Views Parking/Garage Pool Sea View Seafront/Beachfront Terrace/Balcony
    Alicante Almería Almuñécar Altea Barcelona Calvià Cartagena Costa Blanca Costa del Sol Dénia Estepona Gran Canaria Granada Ibiza Madrid Mallorca Marbella Murcia Málaga Orihuela Palma de Mallorca San Javier Tenerife Torrevieja Torrox Valencia
    Browse all locations and property types
  • Sell

    I want to advertise on thinkSPAIN

    • I'm an estate agent & want to list my properties
    • I'm an owner and I want to advertise my property directly

    I'm looking for an estate agent in:

    Alicante Almería Barcelona Castellón Cádiz Girona Granada Málaga Tarragona Valencia
    See all estate agents
  • Where?

    Where to buy/rent?

    • Search by lifestyle needs (Location filters)
    • Browse locations by features/services
    • Use our map search
    • Draw your search area

    Popular location searches

    Alicante Almería Barcelona Castellón Cádiz Girona Gran Canaria Granada Ibiza Madrid Mallorca Murcia Málaga Tarragona Tenerife Valencia
  • Map / Draw Your Area

    Use our interactive map to find properties

    • Map search
    • Draw your search area

    Popular map searches

    Alicante Almería Barcelona Benahavís Calpe / Calp Calvià Cartagena Costa Blanca Costa del Sol Dénia Estepona Girona Gran Canaria Ibiza Los Alcázares Madrid Mallorca Marbella Mijas Murcia Málaga Orihuela Palma de Mallorca Tenerife Torrevieja Valencia
  • Directory

    What are you looking for?

    • Estate Agents
    • Surveyors
    • Architects / Architectural Design
    • Lawyers / Solicitors
    • Tax Consultants
    • Currency Brokers
    • Mortgage Brokers
    • Property Maintenance / Management

    Recent searches

    Estate Agents in Málaga city Estate Agents in Teulada-Moraira Estate Agents in Alcalá la Real Lawyers / Solicitors in Javea / Xàbia Lawyers / Solicitors in Costa Blanca Estate Agents in Albox Estate Agents in Benitachell / Benitatxell Estate Agents in Girona Lawyers / Solicitors in Alicante Lawyers / Solicitors in Costa Blanca Estate Agents in Rábade Estate Agents in Casares Tax Consultants in Alicante Mortgage Brokers in Madrid city
  • Help & Info

    How can we help you?

    • Articles & Guides
    • Jobs in Spain
    • Advertiser Login
    • Advertising with thinkSPAIN

    Popular searches

    Buying in Spain Moving to Spain Retiring in Spain Living in Spain Working in Spain News Real Estate Market Top Locations & Properties Finance, Legal & Taxes Finding the right property Areas in Spain Spanish Lifestyle & Culture Property Market Household Relocation Process Transportation Healthcare Alicante Languages & Integration Self-employment
  • Advertiser Login

By Signing up you are agreeing with our Terms and Privacy Policy.

Looking for the Professionals/Advertiser Login?
or

Don't have an account?  

Sign up

By Signing up you are agreeing with our Terms and Privacy Policy.
or

Already have a thinkSPAIN account?

Sign in/Register

Looking for the Professionals/Advertiser Login?

By Signing up you are agreeing with our Terms and Privacy Policy.
or

Don't have an account?

Forgot your password?

Feedback is welcome

By submitting this form, you confirm that you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
thinkSPAIN Logo

Infanta Cristina and Urdangarín's trial includes 363 witnesses and several politicians in the dock

Infanta Cristina and Urdangarín's trial includes 363 witnesses and several politicians in the dock

Infanta Cristina and Urdangarín's trial includes 363 witnesses and several politicians in the dock
KING Felipe's youngest sister, the Infanta Elena's trial for alleged money-laundering and tax evasion will be under discussion this coming Friday in the court of Palma de Mallorca to decide how many hearings will take place, who will be called up as witnesses and to what extent the press will be allowed to be involved.

Given the magnitude of the trial – the first time in history that a member of the Spanish Royal family has appeared in the dock – an exhaustive amount of planning is needed before the case comes to court on January 11 next year.

Legal authorities will also decide whether or not to accept the defence lawyer's request to put back the trial by two weeks, given that he also has two other corruption cases to represent on that day.

It has taken over five years for judge José Castro to investigate the disappearance of around €6.2 million in public funds from the regional governments of Valencia, Madrid and the Balearic Islands.

Three magistrates – one man and two women – make up the panel of judges.

The accused parties, aside from the Infanta Cristina and her husband Iñaki Urdangarín – who have had their titles of Duchess and Duke of Palma respectively withdrawn by Cristina's own brother, Felipe VI – are Urdangarín's ex-co director Diego Torres and his wife Ana María Tejeiro, the former accountant for the two men's company, the Nóos Institute, Marco Antonio Tejeiro, its ex-legal advisor Miguel Tejeiro, and the lawyer said to have helped them in their international tax evasion racket, Salvador Trinxet.

Former Balearic Island regional president Jaume Matas, his ex-director general for sports José Luis 'Pepote' Ballester, the ex-manager of the IlleSport Foundation Gonzalo Bernal, former legal advisor for the Balearic tourist board Miquel Àngel Bonet, and the ex-manager of the latter, Juan Carlos Alía.

Previous high-ranking politicians from the Valencia region in the dock are ex-secretary for events Luis Lobón, former director-general of the City of Arts and Sciences complex Jorge Vela, ex-organising manager Elisa Maldonado, former director-general of her department José Manuel Aguilar, and ex-deputy mayor of Valencia city Alfonso Grau.

Former MP for district Madrid-16 Mercedes Coghen concludes the list.

Between them all, they are facing more than a century in jail.

Urdangarín could be sentenced to 19 years behind bars, and the Infanta Cristina eight years.

If she goes to prison, she will make history as the first Royal in Spain ever to have done so.

But if her sentence is reduced to two years or less, as hers is a first offence, she will not have to serve it.

It appears very unlikely, however, that her husband will get away without having to go to prison.

In the Infanta's case, it is the private prosecution brought by the association Manos Limpias ('clean hands') which is calling for her custodial term, rather than the public prosecution.

The association, and judge Castro, both consider that the multi-million money-laundering offences could not have happened without the knowledge and consent of the Infanta.

She was 50% owner of the dormant front company Aizoon, which was invoiced and paid out for Urdangarín's 'management consultant services' in order to hide large amounts of allegedly fraudulently-obtained public funds.

Personal, domestic expenses were offset against the company for income tax purposes to reduce the bill, meaning a total of €337,138 was said to have been evaded for the tax years 2007 and 2008.

The Nóos Institute had been set up as a non-profit entity to promote and organise sports and culture events, which benefited from regional government grants to fund them.

Invoices for the Institute's services in setting up the events were inflated, and the difference shared out between Urdangarín and Torres, the court heard.

They then invoiced Aizoon for management consultancy fees to accredit the source of the money.

It is not known at this stage whether the politicians involved in providing the funds for the events, which Urdangarín was able to drum up support for through his Royal connection making him a public celebrity, did so in cahoots with Urdangarín and Torres or whether they were duped.

Among the 363 witnesses subpoenaed are former deputy president of the national government, ex-chairman of the International Monetary Fund (FMI) and ex-minister for the economy Rodrigo Rato, who is also facing his own tax-evasion charges; former mayor of Madrid city, president of the Greater Madrid region and ex-minister of justice for the central government Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, former regional president of Valencia Francisco Camps, and former high-ranking public figureheads of the Royal Zarzuela Palace, Carlos García Revenga and Alberto Aza.

Although inquiries technically began in early 2010, it was not until November 2011 when the full extent of the case started to become known after a raid on the Nóos Institute offices and those of various companies within its umbrella.

The fact that the sister of the then Prince Felipe of Asturias and daughter of the now-abdicated King Juan Carlos I appeared as spokeswoman for the board of directors of the Nóos Institute and 50% owner of Aizoon began to lead to suspicions about how much she knew, or otherwise, of the alleged illegal dealings by her husband and his business partner.

In a preliminary hearing, the Infanta maintained she had nothing to do with either

Advertisement

  1. Spain
  2. Infanta Cristina and Urdangarín's trial includes 363 witnesses and several politicians in the dock