Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

ROYAL FAMILY

Spanish parliament rules out probe of ex-king Juan Carlos over money laundering

The Spanish parliament decided Tuesday that it would not conduct an investigation into suspected money laundering by former king Juan Carlos even though a Swiss probe will reportedly go ahead.

Published: 11 March 2020 08:59 CET
Spanish parliament rules out probe of ex-king Juan Carlos over money laundering
Spain´s former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia attend a ceremony to celebrate his 80´s birthday in 2018. Photo: AFP

Spain's hard-left Podemos party had called for the enquiry but an executive body “did not accept the request for an investigation commission to be created,” a parliament source said.

A week ago, the daily Tribune de Geneve reported that in 2008, Juan Carlos had received $100 million (88 million euros) from Saudi king Abdallah via the Swiss account of an entity listed in Panama.

The newspaper added that in 2012, $65 million of that sum was given by the king to his former mistress, Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein.   

It quoted sources close to the matter as saying that the transactions are at the centre of an investigation opened in 2018 in Geneva for “suspected aggravated money laundering.”

The Geneva prosecutor has not responded to requests by AFP for information on the matter.

Juan Carlos, 82, lost his immunity from prosecution after handing power to his son, Felipe, in June 2014 following a 39-year reign. He resigned from public life last year.

READ ALSO: 

 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

WORKING IN SWEDEN

Swedish Royal Guards scrap ceremonial helmets over safety concerns

The King’s mounted Royal Guards will no longer be able to wear their iconic ceremonial helmets on parades, after the Swedish Work Environment Authority warned of serious safety concerns.

Published: 7 July 2023 13:53 CEST
Swedish Royal Guards scrap ceremonial helmets over safety concerns

“We take the safety of our employees extremely seriously and we are going to address this immediately,” colonel Stefan Nacksten, head of the Royal Guards, wrote in a statement. 

Employed by the Armed Forces, the Royal Guards are the King’s cavalry and infantry units and are a well-known sight at ceremonies in Sweden, including at the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace of Stockholm every day in summer – a popular spectacle for Stockholmers and tourists alike.

The helmets will no longer be used by Royal Guards on horseback from July 7th, as they do not conform to safety standards for riding helmets, although guards parading on foot will still be permitted to wear them.

They are part of the 1895 parade uniforms and were last modified in 2000. The Armed Forces will now create an entirely new helmet which looks the part, but is also safe for riding.

“We’re working on finding an alternative solution as quickly as possible which meets safety requirements and can also be used during parades,” Nacksten said.

“We’ve been working long-term with this issue but now that it has been assessed [by the Swedish Work Environment Authority] we need to take measures immediately,” he added.

“This is good, and now we’re working to make sure something good comes out of this and we can get a safe riding helmet for parades in place as soon as possible.”

SHOW COMMENTS