Princess Cristina, the sister of Spain’s King Felipe VI, has been acquitted in an alleged embezzlement scheme — but her husband was found guilty Friday, as a court handed down a prison sentence of more than six years to Iñaki Urdangarín for an assortment of crimes.
“They were accused of embezzling millions of dollars in public donations to a sports charity they ran,” Lauren Frayer reports from Madrid for NPR’s Newscast unit. “Both are former Olympians. Princess Cristina was the first royal to face criminal charges in Spain’s modern history. Urdangarín’s lawyers are expected to appeal.”
Lauren adds, “Cristina and her husband are believed to be at their luxury villa in Switzerland, and were not in the courtroom for sentencing. Both denied wrongdoing.”
Infanta Cristina de Borbón, 51, had faced charges of tax fraud; although she was acquitted, a provincial court also ordered her to pay a fine of 265,000 euros (around $280,000).
Urdangarín was a main defendant in the case, which also involved more than a dozen other people. The charges leveled against him included money-laundering and forgery.
As Lauren reported last month:
“Cristina’s defense appears to be two-pronged: She denies knowledge of her husband’s business dealings and repeated the phrase “I don’t know” 182 times in response to a judge’s questions at a February 2014 pretrial hearing, according to a transcript.
“Her lawyers also want her case dismissed because charges were brought by a private anti-corruption group, not Spanish authorities. (A quirk of Spanish law allows this.) In fact, Spain’s tax authorities have sided with the princess, arguing for an administrative fine rather than criminal charges.”
You want to know what is really going on these days, especially in Colorado. We can help you keep up. The Lookout is a free, daily email newsletter with news and happenings from all over Colorado. Sign up here and we will see you in the morning!
Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado. Listen now.
Join us for these upcoming events!
It takes a good day’s drive to cover Colorado, but we’ll help you do it in a few minutes. Our newsletters bring you a closer look at the stories that affect you and the music that inspires you.