Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
After determining that the case could not be pursued under Spanish law, prosecutors in Spain have dropped a high profile sex abuse accusation against Julio Iglesias.
In a criminal complaint submitted earlier this month, two women – a domestic worker and a physiotherapist – said they suffered sexual abuse at the hands of the iconic singer while working at his properties in the Dominican Republic and Bahamas in 2021.
They accused the 82-year-old entertainer of subjecting them to ‘inappropriate touching, insults and humiliation…in an atmosphere of control and constant harassment’, regularly checking their mobile phones and restricting their ability to leave where they worked.
The only thing that the prosecutors could do, they said on Friday, was to dismiss the case. They cited a technicality of Spanish law.
They said the complaint could not proceed any further because the alleged offences took place outside of the country and the Spanish courts therefore ‘lacked jurisdiction’.
Women’s Link Worldwide (which assisted the complainants) said that the case was filed because Iglesias, a Spanish citizen, is a victim of gender-based violence in Spain.
READ MORE: Prestige artist or fallen idol? The row over Julio Iglesias’s claims of sex-trafficking exposes the chasms in Spanish society
Jose Antonio Choclan argued against Iglesias’s position, arguing that “Spanish courts and the Spanish prosecutor can not unilaterally assume a role as a universal prosecutor. It is also forbidden for victims to choose the jurisdiction they find most convenient.”
However, a filing from prosecutors seen by Reuters said prosecution could still be sought in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas – the two places where the alleged abuse took place.
Iglesias called one woman, Rebecca, to his room, and used his fingers to penetrate both her anally as well as her vaginally.
She told the Spanish website elDiario that “he used me almost every evening.” “I felt as if I was an object or a slave.”
Laura, another woman who used the pseudonym, claims that Iglesias touched and kissed Laura’s breasts without her consent.
The allegations came to light after a three-year investigation by elDiario, which also published documents suggesting that Iglesias – the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world having sold more than 300 million records – forced women who worked for him to undergo tests for sexually transmitted diseases.
Iglesias posted a statement on social media the week before saying: “I am responding with great regret to allegations made by two former employees of my home.
“I’ve never abused, compelled or disrespected a single woman.” These allegations are false and I am deeply hurt by them.
Click here to read the latest Spain News at The Olive Press.
