Spain’s prosecutors have changed their minds about Julio Iglesias. Having dismissed a complaint against the singer in January, they now support a court investigation into sexual assault allegations made by two former employees. The mechanics here come down to one question: can Spain’s National Court hear a case about events abroad?
Why the case stalled, and why it moved
Follow the jurisdiction. The two women, a former domestic worker and a physical therapist, say the abuse happened at Iglesias’s homes in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas in 2021. They went to Spanish prosecutors in January through the women’s rights group Women’s Link Worldwide. Later that month, prosecutors closed their preliminary inquiry, finding that the alleged offenses took place outside Spain and had too few ties to the country.
The catch is that the women did not stop there. In September they filed a fresh criminal complaint straight with the National Court, and Judge Antonio Pina asked for a new assessment of whether the court has jurisdiction. The prosecutor’s office now says it does.
What the women allege
They accuse Iglesias of sexual assault, human trafficking for forced labor, abusive working conditions, physical injuries and degrading treatment. They say he used his position of power and their vulnerability. One of them says she was pressured into sexual encounters; the other describes unwanted touching. The allegations first surfaced in a joint investigation by El Diario and Univision News.
Iglesias denies everything and calls the accusations entirely false, the Associated Press reported.
The timetable
On closer reading of the schedule, things move quickly. Judge Pina gave Iglesias and the two women five days to submit arguments on jurisdiction, El Diario said. Citing legal sources, the paper added that he is expected to rule next week on whether to open a criminal investigation.
Sources
- Spanish prosecutors back investigation into sexual abuse allegations against Julio Iglesias
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Photo: Jesús Carrero, ¡Hola! magazine (CC BY-SA 3.0)
