This is the end of the suspense in the corruption affair that marred the image of the former King of Spain Juan Carlos, who stepped down as monarch in 2014. Since 2018, the father of Princesses Elena and Cristina and the current King Felipe VI was under investigation in Spain and Switzerland for corruption and money laundering. According to the Spanish anti-corruption prosecution, which relied on recordings by the monarch’s former mistress, Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, Juan Carlos would have received a commission of nearly $ 100 million (around 88 million euros ) from Saudi Arabia, in connection with the award to Spanish companies of a contract for the construction of a high-speed train in Saudi Arabia between Mecca and Medina in 2011.
The sum landed in 2008 on the account of the Lucum foundation, with the Geneva bank Mirabaud. Swiss justice also opened criminal proceedings in 2018 for “aggravated money laundering” after the publication of press articles relating that the ex-king of Spain would have received illegal commissions.
On December 13, the verdict fell. According to information from the Swiss daily The gallery from Geneva relayed by Point, the Swiss public prosecutor’s office has closed the file without further action, “the investigation failed to sufficiently establish a link between the amount received from Saudi Arabia and the conclusion of contracts for the construction of the high-speed train”.
As reported by AFP, the Geneva prosecutor’s office, however, mentioned in a press release, “a desire for concealment”. “The amounts concerned, the origin of the assets, the absence of adequate documentation justifying the transfers, the alleged successive donations (…) as well as the chronology of the events constituted clues charged to the defendants “. Spanish justice has not yet decided and extended the investigation for six months.
Juan Carlos will have to pay the costs of the legal proceedings, which amount to 200,000 Swiss francs, or approximately 192,000 euros. If this case is now closed, the troubles with Justice are not over for the octogenarian who went into exile in the United Arab Emirates. Indeed, Juan Carlos I is still being prosecuted for alleged harassment, by his ex-mistress Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein.