Former King Juan Carlos (1975-2014) is in the sights of the Spanish tax authorities for expenses related to hunting parties that occurred after his abdication, according to the daily The world. The taxman asked the former sovereign “prove the origin of the funds from which the flights and the rest of the associated expenses were paid” to hunting parties in which he participated between 2014 and 2018. For the moment, the amount targeted by the investigation does not exceed €120,000, a sum from which the non-declaration of tax advantages may constitute a criminal offence.
Classified investigations
After accusations of embezzlement and while he is the subject of three legal investigations in Spain, Juan Carlos went into exile in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) almost two years ago. His destination had further fueled criticism, especially since his links with the Gulf monarchies are at the heart of suspicions about his fortune. But he could consider himself off the hook since the investigations had been dismissed in March. The prosecution then explained that it could not prosecute him “because of the insufficiency of incriminating evidence, the prescription of the offenses and the immunity” from which he benefited as head of state until his abdication in 2014. Despite this abandonment of the investigations, the ex-sovereign was guilty of“tax irregularities” and had to make two adjustments for more than five million euros.
Following this decision of the Spanish justice, Juan Carlos took advantage of his regained freedom to go to Spain at the end of May, a first since his departure in exile. He then attended a sailing regatta in Galicia (north-west of the country), before visiting his son, King Felipe VI, and his family at the Royal Palace of Zarzuela in Madrid. This visit is part of the “His Majesty Juan Carlos’ desire to travel regularly to Spain in order to visit his family and friends” in a frame ” private “concludes the press release from the palace.
The king tries to distance himself
However, this brief personal visit was denounced in particular by the left-wing government of Pedro Sánchez, who judged that the ex-sovereign had then “lost an opportunity to explain and ask for forgiveness” to the Spaniards. This visit had an important media echo which was not to the taste of Felipe VI. The king would then have asked his father to cancel a second meeting envisaged under the same conditions. An act confirmed by a spokesperson for the nautical club of the Galician locality, where Juan Carlos, who was to participate in a regatta, finally withdrew for reasons “personal” not specified.
Since his succession to the throne, Felipe VI has tried to distance himself from his father. He decided to renounce his inheritance in March 2020, but also to withdraw Juan Carlos from his annual allowance of almost €200,000. More recently, he launched an operation with the government “transparency” in tax matters for the Royal Palace.