Prosecutors in Switzerland have dropped an investigation into Spain’s former monarch, King Juan Carlos, who had been accused of corruption and bribery. The Swiss investigation, which opened in 2018, came to an end this week after prosecutors failed to ‘sufficiently’ link the 83-year-old to any crime.
Juan Carlos was alleged to have taken money for his role in securing a contract to build a high-speed rail link in Saudi Arabia.
The suspicions centred on $100 million that was deposited into a Swiss bank account by Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah in 2008 that Juan Carlos had access.
However, investigators have not been able to prove any clear connection between the money and the train contract.
The financial affairs of King Juan Carlos have been under scrutiny for several years. He has always denied any wrongdoing. In March 2020, King Felipe VI renounced all personal inheritance from his father and took away his annual payment as a member of the Royal Household. However, intense scrutiny over Juan Carlos’ money continued and in August 2020, the former monarch announced he would leave Spain for self-imposed exile. He has since lived in Abu Dhabi.
The Spanish Royal Court has declined to comment. King Juan Carlos, who still is living in exile in the UAE, has through his lawyer, declined to comment on the various accusations of wrongdoing against him. King Juan Carlos is still under investigation in Spain, where he is suspected of financial crime in several different cases.
In November, Portuguese newspapers reported a possible return to Europe for King Juan Carlos. Portuguese media, as well as some Spanish sources, have reported that consideration is being given to a home for Juan Carlos away from Madrid. In particular, there has been focus in the Portuguese press after workmen were spotted at the Spanish royal family’s home, Villa Giralda, in Estoril in Portugal.
