A bombshell recording of Juan Carlos’ former mistress claiming he was involved in money laundering has sparked calls for an investigation.
The former Spanish king, who abdicated in 2014 after controversies, was accused by Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein who he has long been romantically linked with.
She claimed the 80-year-old used her name to buy property in Monaco and Morocco and cases of secretly trying to hide money.
Spain’s former king Juan Carlos finds himself in the spotlight again after claims from a former mistress have come to light
Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, seen here with Juan Carlos in 2006, has accused the abdicated royal of hiding money and buying property in her name
The latest scandal emerged after recordings of Sayn-Wittgenstein’s conversation were published by two Spanish websites.
AFP reported the German aristocrat’s allegations that Juan Carlos told her he had moved money into the account of a cousin, Alvaro d’Orleans Bourbon, in Switzerland.
She claims he also pocketed money from a high-speed train contract with Saudi Arabia, saying he wanted money to divorce his wife Sofia and marry her.
The German aristocrat, who is 27 years younger than her former lover, reportedly ended her affair with Juan Carlos in 2014
Juan Carlos is alleged to have bought property in Monaco using Sayn-Wittgenstein’s name
Royal expert Pilar Urbano said the content was ‘so obscure’ that it ‘begged for more light’ to be shed, lending ‘credibility’ to the claims.
Spain’s far-left Podemos party has demanded a probe into the activities of Juan Carlos.
He abdicated in 2014, two years after he outraged Spaniards by going elephant hunting in Botswana with Sayn-Wittgenstein at the height of the country’s recession.
The allegations suggest Juan Carlos, seen here with Queen Sofia in 2014, tried pocketing money from a deal with Saudi Arabia to divorce his wife and marry Sayn-Wittgenstein
The monarchy’s reputation was further tarnished when his youngest daughter Cristina was accused in a corruption probe targeting her husband.
The Socialist government has appealed for ‘calm’ and said it first wanted to ‘hear’ from secret service chief Felix Sanz Roldan.
In further embarrassment, the woman in the recordings is speaking with retired police chief Jose Manuel Villarejo, who is currently under investigation for money laundering.
The conversation is mostly in Spanish with snatches of English.
‘This bit is strange. Corinna does not have this level of Spanish but she can read,’ said royal journalist Ana Romero, who has met her several times.