King Juan Carlos faces a possible second Christmas away from Spain
The former Spanish king Juan Carlos, beset by corruption allegations, may have to spend Christmas away from his homeland for the second year in a row.
The investigations into the 83-year-old father of King Felipe VI, 53, will not be closed soon after all, Spanish media reported with reference to judicial sources.
Attorney General Dolores Delgado had signed a decree to extend the investigation by six months, they said. The authorities confirmed these reports on Friday upon request.
The investigation deadline would otherwise have expired on December 17. Nevertheless, it is still expected that no charges will be brought.
Juan Carlos has already been living in exile away from wife Sofia, 83, and the rest of the family in the Gulf emirate of Abu Dhabi for almost a year and a half.
He had secretly left his home country on August 3, 2020, to take the pressure of Felipe in light of the accusations, according to a letter published later.
In Abu Dhabi, according to the media, he has so far only been visited by his daughters Elena, 57, and Cristina, 56. There are hardly any statements or photos of the man who was Spain's head of state between 1975 and 2014. The Royal House also does not comment on the situation of Juan Carlos.
'Missing Spain'
The Spanish media had repeatedly reported in recent weeks that Juan Carlos was missing Spain and his family more and more, but was confident that he would be able to spend Christmas in Madrid.
"One thing is now certain, for the time being he cannot return," Mariangel Alcazar, the royal expert of the newspaper La Vanguardia, commented on Friday. It is said that King Felipe is resisting a return before the end of the investigation.
The Spanish authorities have opened three investigations into Juan Carlos. Among other things, there are allegations of money laundering and tax fraud, alleged bribes paid during the construction of a high-speed railway line in Saudi Arabia, allegedly undeclared donations and secret bank accounts abroad.
In order to avoid criminal proceedings for tax fraud, Juan Carlos initially paid some 678,000 euros (767,000 dollars) in tax debts at the end of 2020, and a further almost 4.4 million euros in February of this year, his lawyer confirmed.