Spanish singer Julio Iglesias smiles throughout his star unveiling ceremony on the Stroll of Fame in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016.
Carlos Giusti/AP
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Carlos Giusti/AP
BARCELONA, Spain — Spanish prosecutors are finding out allegations that Grammy-winning singer Julio Iglesias sexually assaulted two former staff at his residences within the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.
The Spanish prosecutors’ workplace informed The Related Press on Wednesday that the allegations had been associated to media reviews from earlier this week that alleged Iglesias had sexually and bodily assaulted two girls who labored in his Caribbean residences between January and October 2021.
Iglesias has but to talk publicly concerning the allegations. Russell L. King, a Miami-based leisure lawyer who lists Iglesias as a consumer on his web site, did not instantly reply to a request for remark by the AP.
The Spanish prosecutors’ workplace that handles circumstances for Spain’s Nationwide Court docket stated that it had acquired formal allegations in opposition to Iglesias by an unnamed occasion on Jan. 5. Iglesias might doubtlessly be taken in entrance of the Madrid-based courtroom, which may attempt alleged crimes by Spanish residents whereas they’re overseas, in accordance with the courtroom’s press workplace.
Looking for justice in Spain over the Caribbean
Girls’s Hyperlink Worldwide, a nongovernmental group, stated in an announcement that it was representing the 2 girls who had introduced the grievance to the Spanish courtroom. The group stated that the ladies had been accusing Iglesias of “crimes against sexual freedom and indemnity such as sexual harassment” and of “human trafficking for the purpose of forced labor and servitude.”
The group stated the ladies of their testimony additionally accused Iglesias of commonly checking their cellphones, of prohibiting them from leaving the home the place they labored and demanding that they work as much as 16 hours a day, with no contract or days off.
The group stated it didn’t attain out to authorities within the Bahamas or the Dominican Republic, and that it did not know whether or not authorities in these Caribbean nations have initiated an investigation.
Gema Fernández, senior legal professional at Girls’s Hyperlink Worldwide, stated in a web based press convention Wednesday that “Spanish legislation regarding sexual violence, gender-based violence and trafficking could be an interesting option” for the 2 girls making the allegations in opposition to Iglesias.
“Listening to what (the two women) are seeking and their definitions of justice, it seems to us that filing a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the National Court of Spain was the path that best suited their definition of justice. That is why we are supporting them along this path,” Fernández stated.
Jovana Ríos Cisneros, government director of Girls’s Hyperlink Worldwide, asserted that Spanish prosecutors have determined to take statements from the 2 girls and granted them the standing of protected witnesses.
“Being heard by the Prosecutor’s Office is a very important step in the search for justice,” she stated.
Fernández stated prosecutors haven’t set a date to take statements from the ladies and famous that prosecutors have as much as six months to find out whether or not the data they obtain warrants a prison prosecution. These six months might exceptionally be prolonged to a yr, she added.
The Prosecutor’s Workplace didn’t instantly return a message searching for remark.
A singer below scrutiny
Spanish on-line newspaper elDiario.es and Spanish-language tv channel Univision Noticias revealed the joint investigation into Iglesias’ alleged misconduct.
Ríos stated the 2 girls initially contacted elDiario.es, which started investigating the allegations but in addition suggested the ladies to hunt authorized assist.
Spanish authorities spokeswoman Elma Saiz stated that the media reviews concerning Iglesias “demanded respect.”
“Once again I can reaffirm this government’s firm and complete commitment to take on any act of violence, harassment or aggression against women,” Saiz stated Tuesday after the media reviews had been revealed.
Panky Corcino, spokesman for the Legal professional Basic’s Workplace within the Dominican Republic, declined to remark, saying he could not verify or deny an investigation.
By legislation, any case within the Caribbean nation that includes sexual aggression or violence should be investigated by prosecutors, even when nobody has filed a grievance.
The 82-year-old Iglesias is without doubt one of the world’s most profitable musical artists after having offered greater than 300 million data in additional than a dozen languages. After making his begin in Spain, he gained immense reputation in the US and wider world within the Seventies and ’80s. He is the daddy of pop singer Enrique Iglesias.
Julio Iglesias gained a 1988 Grammy for Finest Latin Pop Efficiency for his album “Un Hombre Solo.” He additionally acquired a Lifetime Achievement Award on the Grammys in 2019.
Spain’s tradition minister stated Wednesday that its left-wing authorities, which holds girls’s rights and equality amongst its priorities, may also think about stripping Iglesias of the state’s Gold Medal of Advantage within the High-quality Arts that he was awarded in 2010.
“It is something we are studying and evaluating, because evidently we feel obliged to do so when faced by such a serious case,” Tradition Minister Ernest Urtasun stated.
