Rob Horgan
THE former king of Spain has been accused of bribing officials to drop tax fraud charges against his daughter Princess Cristina.
Juan Carlos I has failed to respond to allegations that he offered anti-corruption group Manos Limpias €2 million to stop their investigation.
The offer was allegedly made just weeks before the princess appeared in the dock in Mallorca in January.
The Princess is one of 18 defendants charged in a corruption trial, also featuring her husband Iñaki Urdangarin, an Olympic handball medallist turned businessman.
Cristina, 50, faces two counts of tax fraud, carrying a maximum prison sentence of eight years, for allegedly failing to declare taxes on personal expenses paid by a property company she owned with her husband.
The six-month trial ended in June, with three judges still considering their verdict. If found guilty the princess faces up to eight years in jail, while her husband is facing 19 years if convicted.
The monarch has served as an example to his countrymen. Model behavior starts at the top, and many, many people follow his example.
Rotten from top to bottom. Still considering their verdict after 5 months, no, waiting to see how much their ‘justice’ is worth. I’ll bet it’s a smack on the wrist and a small fine or if really brazen (and the bribe big enough) not guilty of anything.
The “trickle-down effect” seems to work well in Spain.
Who dreams up the length of the sentences? You would get a lesser one for murder.
The potential sentences on the Royal accused, (thieves if convicted) are those demanded by the prosecutors.
In reality, judges generally impose half of what is asked by them. So that comes down to four years for the Infanta. She would serve half at most, down to two years now. After a year she would qualify for partial libertad – weekends at home and regular five-day breaks away from jail.
Hardly onerous.
The same conditions would apply to hubby. Considering their place in society and the example set, they deserve every day of their porridge.
As for daddy? Well…..
Stefanjo, the same happened with Uli Hoeness, president of soccer club Bayern Munich, who was guilty of having not paid taxes for 28 Million € of gains in stock speculation. Hoeness went to prison for two years into the same jail where Adolf Hitler was sitting in 1923 and writing his bestseller “Mein Kampf”. After 6 months Hoeness was allowed to work outside at the Bavaria Munich headquarter at daylight and had to return to jail at night. After one year he was sent home for his impeccable behavior in jail. Now he is going to be reelected as president of Bayern Munich for the second time.
Going to prison that way will not harm the Spanish royal family too. Perhaps the Infanta uses her time to write a book too…? Suggested title: “Noble Bribes”.