A court in Palma -on the island of Mallorca- has named Spain's Princess Cristina as a suspect in a corruption case involving her husband, the Duke of Palma, Sky News reported. The court said that the 47-year-old youngest daughter of King Juan Carlos, is to be called for questioning on April 27.
The case revolves around claims that her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, and his former business partner, Diego Torres had embezzled about 6 million euros of public funds to companies they controlled. They are accused of siphoning off money paid by regional governments to stage sports and tourism events to Noos Institute, a nonprofit group which the Duke of Palma was chairman from 2004 to 2006.
Diego Torres, his former partner, told a judge that members the Spanish Royal Household -including the Princess- were well aware of the operations going on, as she was a member of the board at the Institute. The Duke of Palma has denied all wrongdoing and has not been charged, and has tried to protect the Spanish Royal Family from the courts.
The princess, who was a member of the Spanish Olympic sailing team at the Seoul games in 1988, married her husband, a former handball player, in 1997 and together the couple have four children.
The couple moved to Washington in 2009 when the Duke took up the role as executive director of the U.S. subsidiary of Telephonica, a Spanish firm.
The 75-year-old king has also been hit with a corruption, prompting an opinion poll published last month showing that that almost 57% of Spaniards felt the king should abdicate in favor of his 45-year-old son Prince Felipe, Sky News reported.
Princess Cristina, the youngest daughter of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, is seventh in line to the throne.
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