Women accuse Julio Iglesias of sexual assault and forced labor in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas
Quick Look
Two women filed a new complaint against Spanish singer Julio Iglesias (82 years old), accusing him of sexual assault, harassment, and imposing coercive and humiliating working conditions while they worked at his properties in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas in 2021, stressing that the Spanish courts have jurisdiction to hear the case despite the events occurring outside Spain.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Last January, Spanish prosecutors closed the file of the first complaint on the same charges against Iglesias, considering that Spanish courts do not have jurisdiction to consider events that allegedly occurred in Caribbean countries.
Last January, Spanish prosecutors closed the first complaint on the same charges against Iglesias, the Grammy Award-winning singer who sold more than 300 million music albums over an artistic career that lasted for decades.
The prosecution dismissed the complaint, arguing that Spanish courts did not have jurisdiction to consider events that allegedly occurred in Caribbean countries.
The two women, one a domestic worker and the other a physical therapist, say they were subjected to sexual assaults and other forms of abuse while working on Iglesias' properties in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas in 2021, according to Women's Link Worldwide.
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جانب مظلم للأسطورة.. نساء يتهمن خوليو إغليسياس بـ"الاغتصاب والعنف"
Iglesias (82 years old) previously said that the accusations against him were “completely false,” stressing that he had never “mistreated or insulted any woman.”
The organization said in a statement that the two women, referred to as Rebecca and Laura, filed the new complaint on Thursday, accusing Iglesias of committing acts including “sexual harassment and assault,” as well as subjecting them to “coercive and degrading working conditions.”
The organization added that Spanish courts have the authority to consider the case, based on a law that allows investigation and prosecution of crimes committed outside the country “when there are sufficient links to Spain.”
She explained: “If a Spanish person commits a crime outside Spain, the trial can take place in Spain, as long as the act itself is considered a crime in the country in which it occurred.”
The organization's executive director, Yovana Ríos Cisnero, said: “The Spanish state is obligated to guarantee equal access to justice, regardless of the identity of the accused person.”
In January, the Spanish prosecution said that its dismissal of the case did not prevent the two women from submitting their complaints before other judicial bodies.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Spanish courts will decide in the coming weeks whether to consider the new complaint against Julio Iglesias
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- What specific evidence do the women base their complaints on?
- Will the Spanish courts accept the case for consideration even though the events occurred outside its territory?
- What is the reaction of Julio Iglesias and his legal team to the new complaint?
