A COURT in Valencia has ruled that veteran crooner Julio Iglesias is indeed the father of a local man born out of wedlock father of a local man born out of wedlock in 1976 – but the singer intends to appeal the verdict.
Javier Sánchez Santos, 43, appointed a private detective in Miami, Florida, where Iglesias and also his son, chart-topper Enrique Iglesias, have lived for many years.
Tissues from a bin in a bar with Julio's DNA were collected, and the genetic material was found to be a 99.99% match – the highest percentage ever conceded.
This was two years ago, and Julio, 75, has since refused to provide DNA samples for the court investigators, leading the judge to rule that he is in fact Javier's father in the absence of these.
Javier would have been conceived five years into Julio's marriage to Philippino-Spanish model and it-girl Isabel Preysler, 68, who has been married to Peruvian Nobel Literature Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa for 18 months.
Preysler is also Enrique Iglesias' mother, and he would have been a toddler when Javier was born.
Javier's mother María Edite had never hidden from him that he was the result of a fling with the singer, although Iglesias' lawyer Fernando Falomir says they 'only met once' at a high-society party.
Falomir says the court verdict has been issued 'almost in its entirety' on Julio's refusal to supply DNA, but stresses his client had wanted to wait to see 'whether there was anything to be judged' before doing so and 'has always and still would be' prepared to give samples.
He claims there is 'absolutely no proof' and that the singer's 'fleeting encounter' with María Edite 'offers no circumstantial evidence that they had any type of relationship'.
Javier said in 2017 that he was not concerned about his biological father's fortune or about any possible inheritance, 'did not hold any grudges' about Julio's 'lies' or rejection of him – since 'they would have plenty of time to address it all later' – and just wanted 'closure' and 'to know where he came from', as well as for the world to know his mother had 'always been telling the truth'.
Falomir said he was working on an appeal against the Valencia court decision.
