Iñaki, Cristina & the NOOS Corruption Investigation and Imprisonment


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JC's sisters, nephews/nieces and cousins are a special case because they were caught in the limbo between the republic and the restoration of the monarchy in the format it assumed in the constitution of 1978. Even if they were not in the line of succession, as former members of the Royal House (unlike JC's sisters for example), JC's daughters would always be potential targets. But, in any case, since they are in the line of succession (Elena is actually 3rd, which is pretty high IMHO, and Cristina is 6th), the need for state security is even more evident.

Let me just add that, in the unfortunate event (God forbid) that Felipe and Letizia might both pass while Leonor is still a minor, Elena would be regent under the constitution and, in her absence, the regency would be occupied by Cristina. They are too important then to be left unprotected.

Regency beyond the surviving parent (Letizia) isn't explicitly designated in the Constitution. It will have to be decided by the government and the parliament. I highly doubt Cristina will be appointed regent in any circumstances at this point.

Again, it's the Minister of Interior decides whom to protect and he has been very discreet about it.
 
The Regency is designated in Article 59 of the Constitution.

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Art. 59
1. In the event of the King being under age, the father or mother of the King or, in default thereof, the relative of legal age who is nearest in succession to the Crown, according to the order established in the Constitution, shall immediately assume the office of Regent, which he shall exercise during the King's minority.
2. If the King becomes incapacitated for the exercise of his authority, and this incapacity is recognized by the Cortes Generales, the Crown Prince shall immediately assume the powers of the Regency, if he is of age. If he is not, the procedure outlined in the foregoing clause shall be followed until the coming of age of the Crown Prince.
3. If there is no person entitled to assume the Regency, the latter shall consist of one, three or five persons.
4. In order to exercise the Regency, it is necessary to be Spanish and legally of age.
5. The Regency shall be exercised by constitutional mandate, and always on behalf of the King.



The Constitution also designates the line of succession for "successors" of Juan Carlos de Borbón, however, it does not explicitly limit it to his descendants.

Art. 57
1. The Crown of Spain shall inherited by the successors of H.M. Juan Carlos I de Borbon, the legitimate heir of the historic dynasty. Succession to the throne shall follow the regular order of primogeniture and representation, in the following order of precedence: the earlier shall precede the more distant; within the same degree, the male shall precede the female; and for the same sex, the older shall precede the younger.
2. The Crown Prince, from the time of his birth or the event conferring this position upon him, shall hold the title of Prince of Asturias and the other titles traditionally held by the heir to the Crown of Spain.
3. Should all the lines designated by law become extinct, the Cortes Generales shall provide for the succession to the Crown in the manner most suited to the interests of Spain.
4. Those persons with a right of succession to the Throne who marry against the express prohibition of the King and the Cortes Generales, shall be excluded from succession to the Crown, as shall their descendants.
5. Abdications and renunciations and any doubt concerning a fact or the law that may arise in connection with the succession to the Crown shall be resolved by an organic law.
 
Regency beyond the surviving parent (Letizia) isn't explicitly designated in the Constitution. It will have to be decided by the government and the parliament. I highly doubt Cristina will be appointed regent in any circumstances at this point.
What is the age of majority in regards to a regency? Felipe will be 20 in July and Victoria 18 in September. Wouldn't they come before Cristina?
 
Regency beyond the surviving parent (Letizia) isn't explicitly designated in the Constitution. It will have to be decided by the government and the parliament. I highly doubt Cristina will be appointed regent in any circumstances at this point.

Again, it's the Minister of Interior decides whom to protect and he has been very discreet about it.

If the successor is under 18 when the throne becomes vacant, the default regent is the surviving parent (in Leonor's case, it would be Letizia). If there are no surviving parents, then the default regent is the next person in the line of succession who is over 18. Again, in Leonor's case, it would be the Infanta Elena and, then, Felipe Froilán. Parliament would have to choose a regent only if there were no living adults in the line of succession.
 

Very interesting article and view point. I imagine King Felipe and wife and children have no real option in public but to distant themselves so as not to look underhanded themselves and showing approval. They are in the position to put government and laws supreme in their lives. It is what they took an oath to do and it is a lifetime commitment. The rest of the immediate family must realize this and unless extremely selfish must understand. To me the biggest losers on this whole deal is the is the children. They are the innocents. I would like to think that Felipe and Letizia still send birthday and holiday gifts or money to Cristina and Inaki's 4 and that they talk to them on the phone. Like quite a lot of families all over the world, some member has caused tension either thru illegal dealings, drugs or alcoholism. It happens. It will take time but the children [cousins] will eventually fix. Shame it will all be headline news for the rest of their lives. Just not fair, but then life isn't.
 
Thanks for sharing. The article is very nice and informative. I am a little surprised that they are staying in Switzerland and not moving to Portugal seeing that Christina has a job waiting on her there. Maybe the children are really liking it there, if so, good for them. Maybe she wants to stay as far away as possible. I can totally understand the King and Queen wanting to publicly keep their distance, I do hope they have communication with Christina's children though. They are absolutely the victims in all of this and shouldn't have to be punished any more than they already have been.
 
Thanks for sharing. The article is very nice and informative. I am a little surprised that they are staying in Switzerland and not moving to Portugal seeing that Christina has a job waiting on her there. Maybe the children are really liking it there, if so, good for them. Maybe she wants to stay as far away as possible. I can totally understand the King and Queen wanting to publicly keep their distance, I do hope they have communication with Christina's children though. They are absolutely the victims in all of this and shouldn't have to be punished any more than they already have been.

Although I’m sure Cristina could potentially have a job waiting for her in Portugal if that’s where she wanted to go I’m not sure if I believe this is legitimate information or not. It seems to have started as a rumour when the Aga Khan Foundation bought property in Portugal.. whether there’s actually ever been any thought on Cristina’s part of a move has never been confirmed.

To me staying in Switzerland makes sense. It’s not like the children could see Inaki every day even if they moved next door to whatever prison he winds up in. The family has the resources to travel to visit him as much as is allowed. Cristina has a very good job already, and, if where the children go has been reported correctly, they attend a great school. They have the best of both worlds in Geneva - privileged lives in a cosmopolitan setting, without the unrelenting media presence they’d be subjected to in Spain or possibly even Portugal.

The Urdangarin children have grown up with the love and support of the majority of both sides of their family. As the grandchildren of JC and Sofia they’ll never lack for money, contacts, career prospects or support of any kind. I’m not as inclined as some to give Felipe the benefit of the doubt re: how he’s treated his sister’s children in public or private but we simply don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors. IF he doesn’t bother with them TBH it’s as much his loss as theirs.
 
Just curious: Is it likely that will actually serve his full sentence? (Assuming he gets one.) Or, would he serve a few months or even a year, then be put on probation or something? Could he be sentenced to house arrest?

I don't know anything about the Spanish justice system, so I'm curious what the possible outcomes might be next week.
 
we should learn in the next month the decision of the tribunal on inaki going to prison or not.

Empieza la cuenta atrás para que Iñaki Urdangarin ingrese en prisión | Casa Real

I would like to think that Felipe and Letizia still send birthday and holiday gifts or money to Cristina and Inaki's 4 and that they talk to them on the phone.

in my opinion, in normal families people will tend to even distance themselves from the children. even if the adults keep in touch with them, for example, texting them, that is always seen as a source of information to their parents, who will want to find out more. hence, the other adults in the question tend to either step away from contact to avoid leaking information or to maintain a very 'superficial' kind of relationship. so my guess is that they are not in touch that much, and if they are it certainly isn't as loving and fluid a relationship as it once was. but that will surely all change once years pass and they grow older, as it does in most families when they realise life is short for holding a grudge.
 
The Times (19/3) is reporting that the King has banned his sister from moving to Portugal - summary of the report:-

King Felipe VI of Spain has banned his sister from moving to Portugal from Switzerland so that she could be nearer her husband should he lose his appeal against a six-year jail sentence.

The king has judged that Princess Cristina and her husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, are so unpopular with the public nearby would be too embarrassing for the royal family.

The princess had been offered a house in Lisbon by the Aga Khan, an old friend of her father, King Juan Carlos I.

The reason is that it is thought that it would be easier for her to visit Urdangarin, 50, in a Spanish jail from there should he serve his sentence for fraud, tax evasion and embezzlement. He is beginning an appeal against the conviction tomorrow.

A royal source said: “Some royal assessors were sent to evaluate the idea but Felipe stopped it. He thought she would be an embarrassment.”

Another reason he balked at the prospect of Cristina living in Portugal Felipe felt that the presence of his sister would sully the neighbours’ good relations.

Prosecutors will ask judges at tomorrow’s hearing to increase Urdangarin’s jail term to ten years. A decision is expected before the summer.


https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/...tina-banned-from-moving-to-portugal-s6pdwxz73
 
Has a King still the power to prevent her move ? The king has no power in Portugal I think. Has he ????
 
I think the only power Felipe has is as Head of the Royal House.

I suppose that he could exert power, via his government, on Portugal not to allow her to enter the country.

But this seems wrong to me. She no longer represents the Royal House so let her live her life, and if she decides to stand by her husband and visit him often then he shouldn't try to stop it.

I think that if this is true, it could backfire on him.
 
:previous: I completely agree. I don't think this is a fair, let alone humane, way for the King to treat his embattled sister and it may indeed backfire on him.:sad:
 
Ridiculous, how can Felipe prevent his sister from living in Portugal? If she wanted she could move back to Spain and rent a house next to the prison to visit Inaki every day. Maybe this will be the main topic to discuss in the upcoming state visit from Portugal, how can we prevent Cristina from moving there lol ��
 
The story about Felipe nixing Cristina’s move to Portugal has been doing the rounds in the Spanish press for many months now. It started right after the Aga Khan/the foundation bought property in Portugal and the initial stories based Cristina’s potential move on no more than that. The way the speculation has grown and mutated and is now accepted as fact has been an interesting phenomenon to follow!

It seems like nonsense to me - Felipe neither could nor likely would want to prevent his sister from moving wherever she wishes. He has no official power and his unofficial influence is certainly no greater than that of the Aga Khan, of all people, who would have to support Cristina’s theoretical move.

IMO the truth is likely quite boring in that, (I’m speculating), Cristina realizes she and especially her children have a good set up in Geneva and she’ll stay there at least until the youngest finishes school.
 
I don't see how Felipe could stop her, even if he wanted to. Its not like the Portugese government is going to take orders from him to keep her out. Or the Aga Kahn would rescind the offer because of him. If he was going to listen to any it would be JC who is his good friend, and JC supports his daughter.

Felipe has distanced himself from the scandal publically. And honestly that is to be expected IMO. JC abdicated in the middle of scandals, so that Felipe could take over, and hopefully the monarchy could survive. It would do nothing for them for Felipe to envelop himself into it. We have no idea what happens behind closed doors, and how often he speaks to his sister or supports her.

The reality is that the kids are going to have huge changes if dad goes to prison. Even if they move to Portugal they wouldn't be able to see him all of the time. The kids having some stability in their life is important during this time. Uprooting them from their home, their school and their friends right now wouldn't be easy on the kids. And the press will likely be worse, even in Portugal. Allowing them to remain in Switzerland and maintain as much as their normal life as possible, is likely best. They can still visit dad and they will have the support of their family.

I am kind of surprised he has been free all of this time. I would have thought he'd be in prison, or at least house arrest, during appeal. I never realized how different Spanish system is.
 
It’s not surprising at all, in Germany it would be the same thing as well, he’d be free until appeal has been decided. We have the example of Uli Hoeneß, football president of Bayern Munich, who did time for massive tax evasion. although he did nit appeal he was free all the time until the verdict, then went to prison for little time, after that he only had to return at night, then he only got tagged. Half the time was suspended because of good behavior, solid family environment etc. I expect the same with Inkai who did not commit a capital crime either, no previous records, good prognosis for the future, he will do little time in prison, rest nights only/tagged/suspended.

Added: Felipe couldn’t be happier with Cristina in Switzerland with somebody else, likely parents and connections picking up the massive bill, would be the same thing in Portugal. Cristina could as well come back to Spain and talk to the press all day long about the SRF and have her picture taken in front of the prison, not sure anyone would like this better. As sister of the King she will be taken care of all her life since she has enough leverage on everybody and nobody can afford to let her become a really loose cannon.
 
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Any news yet? I thought the hearing was supposed to be yesterday.
 
Added: Felipe couldn’t be happier with Cristina in Switzerland with somebody else, likely parents and connections picking up the massive bill, would be the same thing in Portugal. Cristina could as well come back to Spain and talk to the press all day long about the SRF and have her picture taken in front of the prison, not sure anyone would like this better. As sister of the King she will be taken care of all her life since she has enough leverage on everybody and nobody can afford to let her become a really loose cannon.

While I’m sure Cristina could provide a lot of very interesting information about how “exemplary” the adult members of the current SRF really are or are not, I don’t think she’ll ever speak about it. They all sink or swim together: no matter how they may feel about each other as individuals, they all derive status from their connection to the institution of the Spanish monarchy. As much as some fervently wish it weren’t so, that still very much includes Cristina as an Infanta of Spain and daughter of a Spanish King. Cristina and her children benefit from a strong, well functioning monarchy just as much as her siblings and nieces and nephew do. If she weakened the institution by embarrassing her father or her brother and sister in law she’d be cutting off her nose to spite her face.
 
If she weakened the institution by embarrassing her father or her brother and sister in law she’d be cutting off her nose to spite her face.
But they already did and not in a small way !
 
If she weakened the institution by embarrassing her father or her brother and sister in law she’d be cutting off her nose to spite her face.
But they already did and not in a small way !

Not quite. She was stripped of her personal title of Duchess of Lugo, but she is still an HRH and in the line of succession to the throne. If she had been really repudiated by the Royal House, she would have been forced to renounce her succession rights.
 
Not quite. She was stripped of her personal title of Duchess of Lugo, but she is still an HRH and in the line of succession to the throne. If she had been really repudiated by the Royal House, she would have been forced to renounce her succession rights.
If I remember it correctly no one can force a Spanish dynast to renounce their place in the Line of Succession it's only something that they can do voluntarily. Rumour has it that Felipe and Juan-Carlos begged Christina to do that but she refused.
 
Elena is the Duchess of Lugo. Cristina was the Duchess of Palma de Mallorca.

An Infanta of Spain can indeed not be forced to give up her style; and only contracting an unapproved marriage is a way to automatically loose dynastic rights.
 
If I remember it correctly no one can force a Spanish dynast to renounce their place in the Line of Succession it's only something that they can do voluntarily. Rumour has it that Felipe and Juan-Carlos begged Christina to do that but she refused.

Cristina could renounce her succession rights to the throne but would still be an Infanta of Spain and the daughter of a (former) reigning King, of a monarchy that still exists. That alone will always count for a lot in certain circles and it will always get her and her children things, contacts, experiences, and so on that they otherwise wouldn’t have.

My point being, its better to be in the above position - with or without succession rights - than it is to be an Infanta of a republican Spain, or a Spain with a severely weakened monarchy. Which is one reason I think Cristina will never make public some of the no doubt very interesting things she knows. Maybe not the primary reason, but one reason.
 
Thanks Eya, that's 5 months less than the original sentence.
We'll see if and how much of this time Inaki will actually spend inside prison walls.
 
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