Former king's defense accuses public prosecution of 'violating his presumption of innocence'

The lawyer representing Juan Carlos I, the former king of Spain, has accused the Public Prosecutor's Office of "violating his presumption of innocence."

Javier Sánchez-Junco issued a statement on Friday criticizing the prosecutor for including in its request for information from the Swiss authorities "serious statements and allegations of misconduct" which "have not the slightest justification" and which "have been contradicted by other facts of which nothing is said."

The emeritus king's defense claims that the documentation made public through a leak to the El Mundo newspaper could seriously harm the public opinion of his client, who has been "under investigation for more than a year."

The documents sent to the Swiss authorities point to possible crimes of "money laundering, tax irregularities, bribery and peddling of influence." It is the first time the Prosecutor's Office has commented on the possible origin of the former king's fortune.

Following the publication of the information by El Mundo, the Public Prosecutor's Office issued a press release stating that it has three ongoing investigations into the emeritus king and explaining that in the framework of these proceedings "it has issued several requests for international legal assistance to the judicial authorities of various countries, including Switzerland, with a view to gathering the necessary information and documentation to enable further investigations."

Tax payment and move to UAE

In February, Juan Carlos paid the Spanish tax office €4.396m for previously undeclared income relating to flights on a private jet.

The former monarch left Spain for the United Arab Emirates in August 2020 to protect the image of the royal family and the current king, his son Felipe VI.