MADRID, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The judge investigating the Noos
corruption case ruled on Monday that Infanta Cristina de Borbon,
the youngest sister of King Felipe VI of Spain must face charges of
embezzlement and tax evasion in court alongside her husband Inaki
Urdangarin.
As a result she becomes the first member of a ruling royal
family to have to face criminal charges.
Judge Jose Castro has rejected the claims of Cristina's defense
lawyers and also pressure from the Spanish Anti-Corruption
Prosecutor, who said the Infanta was not involved in Urdangarin's
business dealings and she lacked the financial knowledge to have
actively participated in the fraud.
This was despite the facts that Cristina had 50 percent
ownership and signed important documents for the company 'Aizoon',
which was a front company allegedly used to siphon off and launder
funds for the Noos organization.
Cristina used company credit cards to pay for a range of
personal expenses, which were later declared as business expenses
and Judge Castro believes that through Aizoon, she may have
cooperated in the fraudulent activities of the Noos Institute.
Noos was a supposedly non-profit organization, which Urdangarin
and his partner Diego Torres used to secure contracts from the
regional governments of Valencia and the Balearic Islands.
Urdgangarin is believed to have used his connections as a member
of the royal household to obtain the contracts and he and Torres
are thought to have defrauded as much as 6 million euros (around 7
million US dollars).
15 other people will face charges along with Urdangarin and
Infanta Cristina and the case is likely to be heard in Palma in the
second half of 2015. Enditem
