• Politics. The government defends Felipe VI but warns about the King Emeritus: "We are all equal before the law"
  • Questions and Answers: The opaque businesses that haunt the Emeritus

No one was able to come to the rescue of Juan Carlos I yesterday. Not even the two parties that have alternated between the Government of Spain and that have always supported the Crown in almost all circumstances. By action or by omission. With his active support in the process of abdication or his silence after the fall of the previous monarch in Botswana , on his intimate relationship with Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein or the legal case against Iñaki Urdangarin.

That historic armor has only cracked now. The first doubts came when the existence in Switzerland of money from King Emeritus began, as a result of an alleged gift of 65 million euros from King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia , which finally ended up in the hands of Corinna. And now they have intensified with the judicial investigation into whether that amount comes from commissions paid by Spanish businessmen for the award of the AVE to Mecca . And they have worsened after an alleged figurehead of the King has declared that he did not pay taxes for the money and that he signed an act to create the opaque society where those funds were transferred to him, according to El Español and El Confidencial .

It has been a slow evolution but without false steps in which PP and PSOE have anchored their decisions to a momentous event for the Spanish monarchy: the public repudiation of Felipe VI to his father, the resignation of his inheritance and the withdrawal of the assignment planned for him in the Budgets, which occurred last March. From that moment, PSOE and PP have also forgotten about Emeritus.

When the current King broke up with his father they praised him. Now after the news about Juan Carlos I, tax fraud and the difficulties of showing where that money comes from, they have turned to protect it. The Government concentrated yesterday on isolating Felipe VI from the dark stain that threatens the monarchy. The same attitude has the PP and Citizens. Each one from his space have constituted for the King a sanitary cord. So that Felipe VI does not pay the duck for his father's excesses.

The spokesperson for the Executive, María Jesús Montero, broadcast loud and clear that "we are all equal before the law", but made an effort to distinguish the facts for which Juan Carlos I is being investigated -in Spain and in Switzerland- from Felipe's actions I saw that, he recalled, he has refused the legacy of his father. Before Justice, she pointed out, each one responds "individually" and the "scope" of what we have known "reaches the people directly involved", referring to King Emeritus.

Montero assured that the Executive "will collaborate" in judicial assistance functions, if required, and sent a message of "tranquility" and "confidence", which was also joined by the Minister of Justice, Juan Carlos Campo. The also head of the Treasury avoided commenting on the fact that the King's money in Switzerland has not been declared to the Spanish Administration and limited himself to saying that the Government "cannot give information on the investigations of the Tax Agency".

The Executive attends with concern to all the data that is being known about the actions of the previous King, with the feeling that he lacks the margin to send another message that is not respect for the judicial procedures in progress and the defense of the equality of Spaniards before the law.

The PP adheres to this without wanting to enter to assess the revelations about the origin and destination of the fortune of Juan Carlos I. In Genoa they add, who defend "the Institution and the role of Don Felipe at the head of the Head of State" , clearly differentiating between the emeritus King and his predecessor, of whom Pablo Casado has declared himself a fervent admirer.

In a particular way, popular leaders show their concern about the drift of the investigations into the former monarch, but they also assure, in any case, that until there is "clear and proven evidence" (that is, a court ruling) there is no your actions should be valued.

Acting of Justice

Citizens were also cautious yesterday. The leadership of the liberal party considers the information that has come out "serious", but they prefer to remain silent and allow the Prosecutor's Office and Justice to act . "In Cs we are always very respectful of judicial processes and, unlike members of the Government such as Vice President Pablo Iglesias, we trust in Spanish Justice instead of questioning it," they assure. As PP and PSOE scrupulously separate the figure of the King, from the supposed dark business of his father. The head of state "has demonstrated his commitment to transparency." And he did it in an exemplary way, they emphasize, when he disconnected his father from representative work or renounced the inheritance.

What the same sources did reject is that there are political formations such as Podemos that use this information "to attack the Head of State and try to erode our democracy." From the top of Cs they consider "irresponsible and hypocritical" that those who do not believe in Spanish democracy, also in reference to the independence parties, "intend to take advantage of this situation to fuel their partisan discourse."

In United Podemos, on the other hand, they see their speech reinforced and they believe that the excuses for not debugging responsibilities are exhausted. The purple formation does not contemplate yielding in its eagerness to open a parliamentary investigation into the Crown - he will insist in Congress - placing the ball on the roof of the PSOE. Both parties disagree and saw no possibility of understanding, at least until now. But they hope that the spread of information and social pressure will turn the position of the socialists around.

Within Podemos, the commons are the most belligerent. Only a few days ago Ada Colau branded the monarchy "corrupt" and defended the need for a referendum.

"We have a duty of exemplary behavior"

In May 2011, Juan Carlos I made a state visit to Switzerland. "Today I am happy to return to this country to underline our closeness," he said in his speech at the Federal Palace. "A European country that arouses great sympathy among Spaniards and with which I have been linked since childhood with fond family memories," he added.

Today it is known that the King of Spain who was almost 40 years old stamped his signature in a March 2011 act of the Lucum foundation , an 'offshore' structure used to receive money from Switzerland and that the Prosecutor's Office is investigating for hiding 64.8 million of euros donated by the king of Saudi Arabia. And in December 2011, in his Christmas message, Don Juan Carlos wanted to express his concern about "the mistrust that seems to be spreading in public opinion regarding the credibility and prestige of some of our institutions."

"We need rigor, seriousness and exemplarity," he said. She added: "All of us, especially those with public responsibilities, have a duty to observe exemplary behavior." Today that exemplarity, as far as his figure is concerned, is in check, after knowing the information about his opaque businesses.

"When irregular behaviors occur that do not conform to legality or ethics, it is natural for society to react. Any objectionable action must be judged and sanctioned in accordance with the law. Justice is the same for all".

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • PP
  • Citizens
  • PSOE
  • Philip VI
  • Juan Carlos I
  • Juan Carlos Campo
  • Spain
  • Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein
  • We can
  • Pablo Casado
  • Pablo Iglesias
  • United We Can
  • Maria Jesus Montero
  • Ada Colau
  • Tax agency
  • Iñaki Urdangarin

Judicial PowerC rejects "change cards" with the Government and PP to renew the CGPJ and plans to reform the law so that the judges choose it

MonarchyAll government partners ask to investigate the "alleged illegalities" of King Juan Carlos in parliament

PoliticsThe Government defends Felipe VI but warns about the King Emeritus: "We are all equal before the law"

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