Because of the financial affair surrounding alleged bribe payments, the Spanish old king left the country two weeks ago with an unknown destination. Now the royal family itself revealed where Juan Carlos is currently staying.
Madrid (dpa) - The secret of the whereabouts of Spain's old king Juan Carlos has been revealed after two weeks of guesswork: The 82-year-old, who is suspected of corruption, traveled to the United Arab Emirates on August 3 and is still there, said Royal family in Madrid on Monday.
So far, both the "Casa Real" and the Spanish government have been silent on this issue.
A few days ago, the newspaper "ABC", which is well informed about the monarchy, assured in the midst of wild speculation that Juan Carlos had found refuge with befriended sheikhs in Abu Dhabi in the Emirates. He maintains excellent relations with the Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Said Al Nahjan, and initially moved into accommodation in the Emirates Palace, one of the most expensive hotels in the world, according to the newspaper.
In a letter published by the royal family on August 3 to his son and successor Felipe VI. Juan Carlos had announced that he was moving abroad - because of the financial scandal surrounding alleged bribery payments during the construction of a high-speed rail line in Saudi Arabia. He wanted to "facilitate" Felipe's work. His whereabouts had remained unknown since then.
Despite the mysterious departure, the Spanish government assured Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez that the "emeritus king" had not fled the judiciary. Sánchez 'second deputy, Pablo Iglesias from the coalition junior partner Unidas Podemos, spoke of an "unworthy escape". A lawyer for Juan Carlos assured that his client would be available to the Spanish judiciary even after his departure.
The scandal concerns alleged bribery payments during the construction of a high-speed rail line in Saudi Arabia by a Spanish consortium. Juan Carlos is said to have collected 100 million US dollars from the Saudis in 2008 for the mediation. At that time he still enjoyed immunity as a monarch. In connection with the payment, however, he is now suspected of tax evasion and money laundering after his abdication in June 2014. In June the Madrid Supreme Court opened an investigation.
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Announcement of the royal house in ABC