FORMER King of Spain Juan Carlos I has reached a new deal with Spain’s Tax Agency over hunting trips he enjoyed after abdicating in 2014. The former monarch agreed to a fine on the grounds that he should have declared the flights he had received as gifts from businessmen to attend the hunts.
According to information published by the Spanish daily El Mundothe Spanish tax authorities have been asking Juan Carlos for information since mid-2021 on these trips, made between 2014 and 2018.
Not only was the tax authorities interested in thefts but also in gifts of much lower value, such as Iberian hams or custom-made shoes.
In 2020 and 2021, Juan Carlos made a number of payments to the Tax Agency in order to regularize his situation as he was under investigation for alleged hidden bank accounts. This saved him from facing charges of tax offences.
Juan Carlos’ abdication was prompted by a series of scandals, including revelations that he had an affair with Danish-German businesswoman Corinna Larsen, who goes by the name Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn.
He then fled Spain and went into exile in Abu Dhabi in 2020 after details of his financial irregularities piled up.
Sources close to the so-called King Emeritus said El Mundo that they believe that the latest tax audit is a maneuver by the government led by the Socialist Party to open “a new front” against him and to prevent any attempt on his part to return to Spain.
In May, Juan Carlos made his first visit to Spain since leaving for Abu Dhabi, heading to Galicia for a sailing regatta. The trip, however, turned into a media circus and caused headaches for his son, King Felipe VI, who was keen to put distance between the royal family and the disgraced king emeritus.
Juan Carlos was criticized during the visit of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for not offering explanations to the Spanish people about his financial affairs.
The latest deal with the Revenue Agency means the King Emeritus has no further investigations going on. A series of legal investigations into his finances have already been suspended in Spain and Switzerland, based on a lack of evidence, the statute of limitations and the fact that he enjoyed immunity as king at the time. allegations.
He still faces, however, a civil suit in the High Court in London brought by Larsen, who accuses Juan Carlos of a campaign of harassment after their relationship ended. Meanwhile, a series of embarrassing revelations have emerged in the media this year about Juan Carlos. The HBO Max series save the king detailed not only his dodgy financial dealings, but also his string of extramarital affairs. A podcast featuring her former lover Larsen, titled Corinne and the Kingalso provided additional details about his demeanor, including how he would return home from trips “as happy as a five-year-old” carrying “bags of money.”
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