Spain’s High Court prosecutors have shelved a preliminary investigation into singer Julio Iglesias, ruling the court lacks jurisdiction because the alleged crimes occurred outside Spain and the accusers do not reside in the country.
The decision, outlined in a filing seen by Reuters, halts the probe at the national level while leaving open the possibility of prosecution in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, where the alleged conduct took place.
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Women’s Link Worldwide, a rights group, lodged the complaint on Jan. 5 on behalf of two women who said they worked at Iglesias’ Caribbean residences over a ten-month period in 2021. The filing drew on reporting by U.S. broadcaster Univision and Spanish outlet elDiario.es.
The accusations detailed in the complaint included human trafficking for forced labor and servitude, sexual assault, and violations of workers’ rights.
Iglesias has denied the allegations, describing them as “completely false” in posts on his social media accounts.
Prosecutors said Spain’s High Court is not competent to try the case because the alleged offenses were committed abroad and the purported victims are not Spanish nationals and do not reside in Spain. They cited Supreme Court jurisprudence that has narrowed the scope of Spain’s universal jurisdiction, a legal principle allowing domestic courts to pursue serious crimes committed outside national territory under certain conditions.
The prosecutors’ decision means there will be no further action in Spain stemming from the complaint, unless new jurisdictional grounds emerge. The filing emphasized that authorities in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas could still examine the matter.
Women’s Link Worldwide’s complaint centered on conditions the women allegedly faced while employed in Iglesias’ residences, and referenced media investigations that brought their accounts to light. The court’s dismissal does not assess the merits of the allegations, focusing solely on jurisdiction.
The preliminary probe’s shelving underscores the legal hurdles for bringing cross-border labor and sexual abuse claims before Spanish courts when neither the alleged crimes nor the alleged victims have a direct link to Spain. In recent years, court rulings have clarified that Spanish jurisdiction over alleged crimes abroad is limited, particularly when complainants are foreign nationals and the alleged conduct occurred entirely outside Spanish territory.
There was no immediate indication of additional legal action in the Caribbean jurisdictions identified by prosecutors. Iglesias, one of the world’s best-known singers, has continued to deny wrongdoing in his public statements.
The High Court’s move concludes, for now, the Spanish leg of a case that grew from investigative reporting and rights advocacy. Any further proceedings would likely depend on how authorities in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas evaluate the complaint and evidence presented by the accusers.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
