Swiss Prosecutor drops case against King Don Juan Carlos I

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Today Yves Bertossa announced Swiss Prosecutor drops case against King Don Juan Carlos I. The case opened on the suspicion of money laundering was dropped after it found “the investigation has not sufficiently established a link between the amount received from Saudi Arabia and the conclusion of contracts for the construction of the high-speed train” in La Mecca.

Although not directly implicated, the decision will come as a relief for the former king, who will not be charged as a result of the decision.

Bertossa’s case investigated Corinna Larsen and the account managers Arturo Fasana and Dante Canónica, who created the Lucum Foundation in Panama which enabled Carlos to receive the donation of $100 million from the king of Saudi Arabia. Carlos was implicated in having received what they believed to be an illegal commission.

That money was sent to Larsen by Carlos, which she justified by saying that it was a donation that related to the affection that the ex-king had towards her and her son. This had according the ABC news Spain, been put in a letter to the account managers Fasana and Canonica: it was a gift without consideration.

The original case was opened “for aggravated money laundering after the publication of press articles in which it was reported that Don Juan Carlos I had received illegal commissions in the framework of public contracts obtained by Spanish companies.”

“These bribes were said to have been partially hidden in Swiss bank accounts, under the identities of several front men. It was suspected that these commissions were linked to the conclusion of a contract by Spanish companies for the construction of the high-speed train that connected Medina with Mecca “explains the prosecutor’s office.

The investigation and the opening of a case followed the media storm that was unleashed by audio released by the commissioner José Manuel Villarejo. In this audio Corinna Larsen pointed to Don Juan Carlos and affirmed, among other things, that he had charged commissions in businesses such as the one mentioned, that he had hidden funds in the foreigner and that he used her as well as her cousin Álvaro de Orleans as front men.

The news that the Swiss Prosecutor drops case will come as a welcome relief for both the current king and the family as a whole.


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Written by

Peter McLaren-Kennedy

Originally from South Africa, Peter is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for the Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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