Inaki Urdangarin
Palma De Majorca:
Spanish King Juan Carlos's son-in-law Inaki Urdangarin goes before a judge on Saturday in a corruption case that has caused a rare embarrassment for Spain's royals.
The case implicating Urdangarin, 44, a former Olympic handball player married to the King's youngest daughter Cristina, is the first major scandal to touch Juan Carlos's family.
The allegations of royal corruption have raised indignation at a time when Spaniards are suffering the effects of an economic downturn, tough spending cuts and an unemployment rate of nearly 23 percent.
Urdangarin and Cristina arrived by car late on Friday evening at the Marivent Palace, a royal seaside summer home in Palma, capital of the Balearic Islands.
Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma, is due to appear at Palma's high court at 9:00 am (0800 GMT) for a preliminary hearing in the investigation, in which he is a suspect along with some of his former associates.
He is suspected of siphoning off money paid by regional governments to the Noos Institute, a charitable organization he chaired from 2004 to 2006, for staging sporting events and conferences.
The duke denies any wrongdoing, but the king has sought to distance himself from the affair and in December the royal family suspended Urdangarin from official engagements.
The palace's highest official, Rafael Spottorno, at that time said Urdangarin's behavior "does not seem exemplary".
During his annual Christmas Eve address, the king expressed concern over declining confidence among Spaniards in public institutions, in what was seen as a tacit reference to the scandal.
On Thursday Urdangarin's own family released a statement defending his innocence and attacking what they called a "campaign of harassment" against him.
Hearings began on February 11 and will wrap up with the judge's questioning of the duke on Saturday. The court will then decide whether there is enough evidence to put Urdangarin or one of the four other suspects on trial.
The court said in a statement on Friday that the duke would access the court building by car, as requested by police for security reasons, and not on foot as suspects usually do.
Urdangarin won two bronze medals with the Spanish handball team at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games.
The case implicating Urdangarin, 44, a former Olympic handball player married to the King's youngest daughter Cristina, is the first major scandal to touch Juan Carlos's family.
The allegations of royal corruption have raised indignation at a time when Spaniards are suffering the effects of an economic downturn, tough spending cuts and an unemployment rate of nearly 23 percent.
Urdangarin and Cristina arrived by car late on Friday evening at the Marivent Palace, a royal seaside summer home in Palma, capital of the Balearic Islands.
Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma, is due to appear at Palma's high court at 9:00 am (0800 GMT) for a preliminary hearing in the investigation, in which he is a suspect along with some of his former associates.
He is suspected of siphoning off money paid by regional governments to the Noos Institute, a charitable organization he chaired from 2004 to 2006, for staging sporting events and conferences.
The duke denies any wrongdoing, but the king has sought to distance himself from the affair and in December the royal family suspended Urdangarin from official engagements.
The palace's highest official, Rafael Spottorno, at that time said Urdangarin's behavior "does not seem exemplary".
During his annual Christmas Eve address, the king expressed concern over declining confidence among Spaniards in public institutions, in what was seen as a tacit reference to the scandal.
On Thursday Urdangarin's own family released a statement defending his innocence and attacking what they called a "campaign of harassment" against him.
Hearings began on February 11 and will wrap up with the judge's questioning of the duke on Saturday. The court will then decide whether there is enough evidence to put Urdangarin or one of the four other suspects on trial.
The court said in a statement on Friday that the duke would access the court building by car, as requested by police for security reasons, and not on foot as suspects usually do.
Urdangarin won two bronze medals with the Spanish handball team at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games.
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