The High Court in London on Thursday refused to grant the ex-king of Spain, as he claimed, the immunity conferred by his status as a member of the royal family in a prosecution for harassment brought by a former partner.
“Whatever status the defendant has under Spanish law and constitution, he is no longer a ‘sovereign’ or ‘head of state’ conferring personal immunity on him,” the court said. declaring itself competent to examine the complaint.
It also notes that the alleged harassment of which he is accused ‘does not fall within the sphere of governmental or sovereign activity’. A new hearing has been set for March 29.
Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, 58, a Danish businesswoman, is suing Juan Carlos in the High Court in London to obtain damages for alleged acts of harassment.
According to documents presented by her lawyers, she had an ‘intimate romantic relationship’ with the former monarch between 2004 and 2009. After their split, they remained friends for a time, before Juan Carlos sought to rekindle their relationship .
‘Malicious acts’
When the businesswoman ‘clearly indicated her refusal’, the 84-year-old ex-king adopted ‘harassing behavior’, she says, accusing her of ‘organizing ‘ a series of malicious acts, causing him ‘distress and anxiety’.
The ex-king, who had abdicated in 2014 and has lived in exile in the United Arab Emirates since 2020, rejected these accusations.
‘Today’s judgment demonstrates that this defendant cannot hide behind any position, power or privilege to avoid this procedure,’ reacted Robin Rathmell, Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein’s lawyer.
‘This is the first step on the path to equity; the appalling facts of this case will finally be brought to justice,” he added in a statement.
The decision of the British justice is a setback for Juan Carlos I, while the Spanish justice had closed without action, at the beginning of March, three investigations targeting him, in particular for corruption.
/ ATS
