The Swiss archive of research on if Juan Carlos I charged illegal commissions for the award to Spanish companies of the AVE between Mecca and Medina frees those investigated – among whom was not the king emeritus – from criminal sanctions, but leaves in evidence the dealings between the former head of state and his lover Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (now Corinna Larsen), with the assistance of the manager Arturo Fasana, the lawyer Dante Canonica and the Swiss bank Mirabaud.
Swiss prosecutor Yves Bertossa has not been able to prove that the 100 million dollars (64.8 million euros) given to Juan Carlos by the Ministry of Finance of Saudi Arabia were in exchange for the concession of the AVE to Mecca to a consortium of Spanish-Saudi companies that in the end lowered the offer by 30%. If it has not been possible to prove that the money was illegal, there can be no crime of money laundering, according to Swiss and Spanish legislation. But the car details the movement of money between the accounts of Juan Carlos and Corinna (the 64.8 million were deposited into an account of the mistress in the Bahamas), as well as payments from the Sultan of Bahrain (1.7 million euros) to Juan Carlos and from Kuwait to Corinna of 4.4 million.
All these movements, of which are unknown the real reasons that justified them, draw a bleak panorama of the activities of King Juan Carlos when he was still head of state, some actions – tax fraud, accounts and foundations hidden in tax havens, etc. – that have discredited his figure, years after his important role in the Transition and in the advent of democracy. They have also disappointed the confidence of the Spanish, in addition to causing great damage to the institution of the Monarchy and complicating the future of his successor, Felipe VI, who has always tried to distance himself from the bad practices of his father, whom He withdrew the allowance he received from the State, among other measures to improve the exemplary and transparency of the Royal Household.
The Swiss judicial authorities will reply to the rogatory commission requested by the Spanish prosecutor’s office –Waiting for the response, the proceedings on Juan Carlos in the Supreme Court have been extended–, but predictably the three investigations that follow –AVE commissions, gifts from Mexican businessman Allen Sanginés Krause and alleged connection with a trust in the Jersey Islands – will be shelved for three reasons: the inviolability of the king, the prescription of some alleged crimes and the admission of the two tax regularizations that the prosecution accepted despite the fact that when they were carried out there was already an open investigation.
This case raises the need for eliminate the inviolability of the head of state especially for private activities. Inviolability is something anachronistic that does not correspond to current times, but, although there have been favorable opinions from the Government to reform it, it seems that it will not be addressed at the moment.
When the Supreme Court files the proceedings against Juan Carlos, he will only have the lawsuit that was seen a few days ago in a London court brought by Corinna for harassment, espionage and defamation. The emeritus king is likely to be cleared of all charges, but his image has already been stained forever.
Reference-www.elperiodico.com