2012 was the year that some of Spain’s most revered and powerful institutions lost their aura. Crisis hit the country’s banking sector, once seen as among the strongest in the world and the already unpopular judiciary was further discredited by a scandal affecting the president of the Supreme Court, Carlos Dívar. Even the royal family could not escape the wave of opprobrium. A scandal linking King Juan Carlos’s son-in-law, Iñaki Urdangarin, to an embezzlement scam dragged on without resolution, at times threatening to sully the name of Princess Cristina. And in April, as Spain’s borrowing costs soared and the economic crisis reached a new peak, it was revealed that Juan Carlos himself had … [Read more...] about King Juan Carlos
iñaki urdangarin
Spain’s refreshing royal scandal
Who says the Christmas period is boring for news? Right now, Spain has three judicial investigations or court cases involving intrigue, royalty and expensive suits. The trial of the Popular Party’s Valencia boss Francisco Camps for allegedly taking sartorial kick-backs in return for granting favours to private sector cronies is probably the most “normal” of this trio of cases. It seems to be a clear-cut case of did-he-or-didn’t-he, involving a senior politician and a shady character with an enormous moustache aptly known as Bigotes. More complex is the case against Baltasar Garzón, Spain’s best-known celebrity judge. The man who wanted to put Osama Bin Laden on trial will soon be in … [Read more...] about Spain’s refreshing royal scandal