The ex-king of Spain Juan Carlos obtained Monday, July 18 in London the authorization to appeal to the British justice against the refusal to grant him immunity in a case where he is prosecuted for harassment by a former companion.
Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, 58, a Danish businesswoman, is suing Juan Carlos to obtain damages for alleged acts of harassment.
Affected by three investigations
In March, the High Court in London ruled that Juan Carlos “was no longer a “sovereign” or one “head of state” giving him personal immunity“. A setback for the 84-year-old ex-king of Spain who lives in exile in the United Arab Emirates, while Spanish justice had closed three investigations in early March, targeting him in particular for corruption and embezzlement.
According to the documents presented by the plaintiff’s lawyers, she maintained a “intimate romantic relationshipwith the former monarch between 2004 and 2009. After their split, they reportedly remained friends before Juan Carlos sought to rekindle their relationship. When the businesswoman has “clearly stated his refusal“, the ex-king adopted a”harassing behavior“, she says, accusing him of having “organizeda series of malicious acts, causing him “distress and anxiety“.
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Juan Carlos is surrounded by scandals and revelations about his lavish lifestyle in Spain, where he was a central figure in the democratic transition after the death of dictator Franco in 1975. He abdicated in 2014 in favor of his son Felipe VI, who distanced himself.
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