Spanish prosecutors shelve corruption probe against ex-king Juan Carlos
Madrid, Mar 2 (EFE).- The Spanish supreme court prosecutor’s office on Wednesday archived a three-pronged probe into the finances of former king Juan Carlos I.
The ex-monarch was under investigation for allegations that he accepted illegal kick-backs worth 65 million euros ($100 million) related to a high-speed rail project in Saudi Arabia, as well as for claims he used credit cards linked to foreign accounts not registered in his name and for his alleged murky links to offshore funds.
Alejandro Luzón, chief anti-corruption prosecutor, said Wednesday that although potentially criminal irregularities had been established, it was not possible to build a case as the statute of limitations had expired in some areas while royal immunity, legal protection Juan Carlos enjoyed until his abdication in 2014, applied in others.
Juan Carlos has since made payments to Spain’s tax office to resettle debt derived from undeclared donations and the use of the credit cards.
The former king, father of Spain’s King Felipe VI, fled to Abu Dhabi in 2020 after the corruption scandal grew and has remained there in self-imposed exile since.
The latest decision from the prosecutor’s office could pave the way for his return to Spain.EFE
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