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Friday, February 7, 2014

Judge Will quiz Spanish Princess Over Fraud Allegations








A judge will quiz Spanish King Juan Carlos's youngest daughter Cristina on Saturday over fraud allegations in corruption scandal--- a historic first for the troubled royal family. Long thought untouchable as royal, Cristina, 48, now faces public scrutiny over accusations of tax fraud and money-laundering that have fuelled doubts over the future of monarchy. The judge on the island of Majorca will question Cristina, a seventh in line to the throne, as a suspect in judicial probe, one step toward a possible trial. It is first time in Spain's modern history that a member of royal family has been summoned to the court acussed of wrongdoings. The case is linked to the business affairs of Cristina's husband, a former Olympic handball player, Inaki Urdangarin, 46. He is under investigation for alleged embezzlement of public funds. Neither he nor Cristina have yet been formally charged with any crime and bot deny wrongdoing. But the investigating judge Jose Castro wrote in his summons," The fiscal crime that Urdangarin is accused of could hardly have been committed without at least knowledge and acquiescence of his wife." Castro has spent more than two years investigating allegations that Urdangarine and a former business partner embezzled six million euros ($ 8 million ) in public funds via Noos Institute, a charitable foundation he chaired. Cristina was the member of the board of the Noos and with her husband jointly owned another company, Aizoon. Investigators suspect that Aizoon served as a front for laundering embezzled funds. Cristina, known as the Infanta, last year narrowly escaped an earlier summon, which was cancelled on appeal. For security reason judge has given Cristina, like her husband, permission to drive right up to the door of the court on Saturday, which would save her a humiliating walk in front of the world media's cameras.

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