By Fiona Ortiz
A Palma judge charged Princess Cristina - younger daughter of King Juan Carlos - with tax fraud and money laundering, possibly paving the way to an unprecedented trial of a member of the royal family, the Superior Justice Tribunal of the Balearics said yesterday.
After a lengthy investigation, Palma Examining Magistrate Jose Castro said in a 200-page ruling there was evidence that Cristina, 48, had committed crimes and summoned her to appear in court on 8 March.
The princess’s husband, former Olympic handball player Iñaki Urdangarin, has been charged with fraud, tax evasion, falsifying documents and embezzlement of 6 million euros in public funds through his charitable foundation which put on sports business conferences in Majorca during the time when the Partido Popular’s Jaume Matas, who is also being investigated for corruption, was president of the Balearics, and elsewhere in Spain.