Spanish King’s Sister to Stand Trial on Tax Fraud Charges

Cristina de Borbon, sister of Spain’s King Felipe VI, has been ordered to stand trial on charges of tax fraud, the Balearic Islands High Court said Monday.

The charges were brought as part of an investigation into the dealings of Borbon’s husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, who stands accused with a former business partner of embezzling millions of dollars in public funds. Urdangarin, an Olympic handball champion, allegedly siphoned $7.5 million from the Noos Institute, his non-profit sports foundation, into his personal bank accounts in 2007-8.

The judge on the case has now decided to put Princess Cristina on trial too for cooperating and embezzling $3.2 million of those funds. Cristina and her husband deny any wrongdoing.

Hearings could start as early as mid-2015, the first time a member of the Spanish royal family will face a criminal trial.

[El Pais]