Charges of Royal Charity Fraud in Spain

The Los Angeles Times reports that Spain’s Princess Cristina was indicted Wednesday on charges of tax fraud and money laundering.  She and her husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, are said to “have been under investigation for years on allegations of the embezzlement of about $8 million in public money through charitable sports foundations they ran.”  The story continues:

On Wednesday, the judge found sufficient evidence to proceed with charges of money laundering and tax fraud against the princess and nine other counts against her husband, and recommended that they go on trial. Fourteen other people, including Urdangarin’s former business partner, were also charged.

“There are many indications that Cristina profited from illegal funds on her own behalf, and also helped her husband to do so, through silent cooperation and a 50% stake in his business,” Judge Jose Castro wrote in his 167-page indictment.

Additional coverage of interest appears in the New York Times, BBC News and Reuters.

JRB