King’s sister becomes first Spanish Royal to stand trial

Princess Cristina married Iñaki Undangarin in 1997, but both could now face lengthy spells behind bars. Photo source: AFP.

The trial of Princess Cristina of Spain began on Monday, making immediate history: this is the first time that a member of the Spanish royal family has been tried by the country’s justice system…

The princess, 50, is standing trial in Palma, Majorca, accused of being an accomplice to alleged embezzlement charges levelled at her husband, Iñaki Urdangarin.

It has been alleged that Mr. Undangarin set-up the Noos Institute sports foundation as a cover to win falsely inflated contracts from regional government bodies. Money that was intended for this supposedly non-profit foundation was instead steered into personal offshore accounts.

Sums of more than €6 million of public money are alleged to have been pocketed by Mr. Undangarin, and if found guilty the defendant could be sentenced to up to 19 years in jail.

The Princess’s charges are less severe, but if a panel of three judges finds her guilty she could be facing up to eight years in prison. She served as a board member for the Noos Institute, and was co-owner of real estate company Aizoon, which prosecutors allege was used to launder the embezzled money.

The scandal has become an understandable embarrassment for the Spanish Royals, who have recently faced accusations of being out of touch with the average Spaniard, particularly during the tough recessions the country endured a couple of years ago.

Cristina is sixth in line to the Spanish throne, so it is unlikely she will ever become queen of Spain. Nevertheless, to be so closely associated to an individual accused of such serious charges has caused many anti-monarchists to question the Princess’s integrity.

However, as she sat in the dock on day one of the trial, the image beamed across Spain was startling: here was a powerful member of the establishment being potentially held to account for her actions.

The issue of alleged corruption among Spain’s “elite” is a sore one, and many average Spaniards will be watching the trial with interest to see whether Princess Cristina’s expensively assembled team of lawyers can succeed in having the charges dropped.