Spanish king’s son-in-law subpoenaed in criminal probe

A JUDGE subpoenaed the son-in-law of Spain’s King Juan Carlos to testify as a suspect in a corruption case, deepening a public relations nightmare for the royal family at a time of acute economic crisis.

The case surrounding Inaki Urdangarin, husband of the king’s daughter Cristina, has been front-page news for weeks. But it went a step further yesterday, when Judge Jose Castro on the island of Mallorca, named Urdangarin as a formal suspect in a criminal probe.

The Balearic Islands Superior Court of Justice said Urdangarin has been called to testify in Palma on February 6. The one-page document did not mention allegations.

But Spanish media say the 43-year-old is suspected of siphoning money from public contracts awarded from 2004 to 2006 to a nonprofit foundation he then headed. He has not been charged with a crime.

An official at the Royal Palace declined to comment other than to say it “respects the decisions of judges”.

Spain has nearly 22% unemployment, a stagnant economy, mountains of debt and many other woes, so alleged shady business dealings by a member of the royal family look terrible for the monarchy.

On December 12 the Royal Palace shocked the country by announcing Urdangarin would stop taking part in official ceremonies involving the royal family.

And in an unprecedented show of transparency, the palace this week made public the details of the stipend the royal family receives from the national budget. It said, for instance, King Juan Carlos earns €292,552 a year in salary and expenses and his son, Crown Prince Felipe, roughly half that.

In his Christmas Eve speech, the king expressed concern over what he described as the declining confidence among the Spanish people in public institutions, a remark seen as a reference to the scandal surrounding his son-in-law.

Spanish newspapers have quoted investigators as saying Urdangarin is suspected, among other things, of having taken €6 million his nonprofit foundation received from the regional governments in Valencia and the Balearic Islands for organising events and diverting it to companies Urdangarin ran.

The case is part of a corruption probe involving regional government in the Balearic Islands.