New twist in the case between the former king of Spain and his ex-mistress. As reported by AFP on Tuesday March 29, 2022, Juan Carlos intends to appeal the decision of the British justice which refuses him immunity. The deposed king, still in exile in the United Arab Emirates, faces prosecution for harassment by Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Saynwho was his companion for almost five years.
This 58-year-old Danish businesswoman is suing her ex-lover to obtain damages for alleged acts of harassment. According to documents presented by the plaintiff’s lawyers, she had an “intimate romantic relationship” with the former monarch between 2004 and 2009. After their breakup, they remained friends before Juan Carlos sought to rekindle their relationship. When the businesswoman “clearly indicated her refusal”, the one who would have had 5000 mistresses adopted a “behaviour of harassment”, she says, accusing her of having “organized” a series of acts malicious, causing him “distress and anxiety”.
Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn thus inflicted a setback for the 84-year-old ex-king of Spain who lives in exile in the United Arab Emirates, while Spanish justice had closed three investigations targeting him in particular in early March. for corruption and embezzlement. The High Court in London ruled last week that Juan Carlos “was no longer a ‘sovereign’ or ‘head of state’ giving him personal immunity“. On Tuesday, during a hearing in the High Court, lawyers for Juan Carlos announced that they intended to appeal the decision. To do so, they will have to apply to the Court of Appeal which, according to the procedure English, can grant or deny this right.Pending this decision, Judge Matthew Nicklin has indicated that he is adjourning the case until July 8.
Juan Carlos is surrounded by scandals and revelations about his lavish lifestyle in Spain, where he was a central figure in the democratic transition after the death of dictator Franco in 1975. He abdicated in 2014 in favor of his son Felipe VI, who distanced himself. Only his daughters Cristina and Elena have discreetly visited him in the United Arab Emirates in recent months, unlike the one who remains his official wife since 1963, Sofia of Spain.