Berliner Tageblatt - Top Spanish court drops tax complaint against ex-king Juan Carlos

Spanish prosecutors in March 2022 closed three probes into his finances due to insufficient evidence and the statute of limitations, but said several irregularities had been found.

Among them were lucrative gifts from Gulf Arab monarchies and private trips funded by a foundation based in the tiny European state of Liechtenstein.

In response, a group of former judges, legal experts, philosophers and journalists in November 2024 sued Juan Carlos for alleged tax offences, arguing a court rather than public prosecutors must decide if he fulfilled his tax obligations.

But the Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit, arguing it "does not provide any new facts, evidence or documents that would justify reopening the investigation" into the former head of state's finances.

Juan Carlos, 87, made two payments worth more than five million euros to the Spanish tax authorities to settle money owed on past undeclared income, a move widely viewed as a bid to avoid charges.

He enjoyed widespread admiration for his role in Spain's transition to democracy following the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.

But the revelations about the murky origins of his fortune since his abdication in 2014 have done irreparable damage to his reputation and harmed the Spanish monarchy.

He went into self-imposed exile in the United Arab Emirates in 2020 but has returned to Spain periodically since 2022 to take part in sailing regattas in the northwestern region of Galicia.

Y.Bouchard--BTB