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LEGENDARY singer Julio Iglesias has threatened to sue Spain’s deputy prime minister after she called him a ‘sexual predator.’
Yolanda Diaz, of the left-wing party Sumar, also claimed that Iglesias treated his employees as ‘slaves’ and ran his estates under a ‘power structure based on permanent aggression,’ according to the singer’s lawyers.
Diaz’s remarks came amid sexual assault allegations – later shelved – made by two of Iglesias’ former employees at his Caribbean mansions in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.
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The women, who were a domestic worker, and a physical therapist, claimed that the 82-year old singer sexually assaulted them while they worked for him in 2021.
Spanish courts ultimately shelved the case because the alleged offenses occurred outside the country – an outcome that does not constitute an acquittal, judges have said.
Iglesias’ lawyers have now demanded that Diaz retract her remarks, acknowledge the ‘damage caused,’ and ‘pay compensation … based on the extent to which the defamatory comments were disseminated’ – all steps required before pursuing a defamation lawsuit.
READ MORE Spain’s legendary singer Julio Iglesias is accused of shocking sexual abuse by domestic staff
Diaz has posted since on Bluesky“I will not stop defending working women from anyone who violates their dignity or rights.
Women will not remain silent in court or out of court.”
The dispute arose from a post Diaz made on Bluesky in January 2013, shortly after the first accusations were published by newspapers across the globe.
She wrote: “Chilling testimonies from former Julio Iglesias employees.” She wrote: “Sexual abuse, enslavement and a power system based on constant aggression.”
I want to thank the courageous women and journalists from elDiario.es.es who brought this issue to light.
Diaz said in a television interview the following day: “I think the investigation that we’ve been hearing about these past few days is truly terrifying.
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“It brings together every kind of human rights violation against women who were, moreover, in an extremely vulnerable position – extremely so as human beings, and extremely so as employees of Julio Iglesias.”
In the same interview, the minister also referred to the singer as an ‘alleged aggressor.’
Iglesias’ lawyers blasted Diaz for labelling the entertainer’s former employees as ‘victims,’ stressing that their allegations had yet to be proven in court.
They also argued that her remarks risked creating public prejudice that their client was ‘guilty.’
READ MORE Spain’s Julio Iglesias says ‘truth will come out’ over sex abuse allegations involving workers at his Caribbean mansions
Jose Antonio Choclan is one of Iglesias’ lawyers. He said that the singer has never been investigated or considered a suspect.
Spanish courts received the initial complaint on January 23, 2009.
Following dismissal, a filing from prosecutors – seen by Reuters – stated that prosecution could still be pursued in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, where the alleged abuse took place.
The scandal first came to light after the claimants accused Iglesias of subjecting them to “inappropriate touching, insults, and humiliation… in an atmosphere of control and constant harassment,” including regularly checking their mobile phones and restricting their ability to leave their workplaces.
Iglesias, according to a woman who asked to remain anonymous, would invite her into his bedroom and use his fingers to penetrate her vaginally and anally.
She told a Spanish website that “he used me almost every single night.” elDiario.es. “I felt as if I was an object or a slave.”
Laura, a pseudonym used by another woman, claimed that Iglesias had kissed and touched her breasts in an unconsented manner.
The allegations were made after a thorough investigation of three years by elDiario.es, which also published documents suggesting that Iglesias – the most commercially successful Spanish singer in history, having sold more than 300 million records – required women who worked for him to undergo tests for sexually transmitted diseases.
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