SPANISH prosecutors have shelved a high-profile sex abuse allegation involving Julio Iglesias after determining it could not proceed under the country’s legal framework.
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.
But prosecutors said on Friday that their only option was to reject the case, citing a technicality in 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 the case was filed in Spain because Iglesias is a Spanish national and the country has strong gender-based violence laws.
But Jose Antonio Choclan, representing Iglesias, dissented, instead arguing: “The Spanish prosecutor cannot unilaterally assume the role of a universal prosecutor, nor can Spanish courts, and it is also not permissible for the victim to choose the jurisdiction that is most convenient for them.”
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.
One of the women, named as Rebecca to protect her identity, said Iglesias would call her to his room and penetrate her anally and vaginally with his fingers.
“He used me almost every night,” she told Spanish website elDiario. “I felt like an object, like a slave.”
Another woman, using the pseudonym Laura, said Iglesias kissed her and touched her breasts without 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.
In a statement posted on social media last week, Iglesias said: “With great regret, I am responding to the allegations from two people who used to work in my house.
“I have never abused, coerced or disrespected any woman. These accusations are absolutely false and pain me deeply.”
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