MADRID (AP) – A Spanish judge on Monday ordered the king’s sister, Princess Cristina, to be tried along with her husband on charges of tax fraud – making her the first member of the country’s royal family to face charges in court since the royalty was restored in 1975.
In issuing the indictment, Judge Jose Castro went against a prosecutor’s Dec. 9 recommendation that Cristina should be fined and only her husband, Olympic handball medalist turned businessman Inaki Urdangarin, be tried. If convicted, Cristina could face up to four years in prison.
Suspected abuse of company funds to cover the couple’s expenses at their Barcelona home is among evidence Castro has compiled about Aizoon, a real estate and consulting firm Cristina co-owned with her husband.
The legal troubles of King Felipe VI’s sister during a four-year probe have damaged the Spanish monarchy’s image.
The case centers on allegations that Urdangarin used his Duke of Palma title to embezzle about 6 million euros ($7.4 million) in public contracts through the Noos Institute, a nonprofit foundation he and set up with a business partner that channeled money to other businesses, including Aizoon.