Princess A Suspect in Corruption Case Involving Spanish Public Funds
Spanish King Juan Carlos' daughter, Princess Cristina, has been named in a corruption case involving her husband, who is accused of stealing from public funds.
The princess' husband, Inaki Urdangarin, Duke of Palma de Mallorca, has been at the center of the corruption case for at least two years. The case was opened in November of 2011 after the Duke was accused of diverting public funds for his own profit. The princess, who has not yet been charged, will appear in court on April 27. She is accused of having knowledge of and benefiting from her husband's business activities.
Urdangarin and his former business partner, Diego Torres, ran a non-profit body called the Noos Institute through which they allegedly funneled about 5 million Euros in public funds to companies they controlled. The princess was a board member of two of those companies, according to the Associated Press.
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Urdangarin, a former professional and Olympic handball medalist, is originally from a wealthy Basque family in Spain. He was given the title of "Duke" after marrying the Princess. The judge said in court that the Duke and his business partner intentionally planned on using the royal connections in their face, the Daily Mail reported.
Although the couple has four children, the royal family decided last year to remove Urdangarin from all official royal activities. His name was also removed from the family website.
The judge recently set joint bail of 8.2 million euros for Urdangarin and Torres and said the two "ignored the rules of public contracting as long as they achieved their aim, which was no other than to divert public funds for their own benefit or that of others," the Associated Press reported.
