Spanish prosecutors are studying allegations that Grammy-winning singer Julio Iglesias sexually assaulted two former employees at residences in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, according to Spain’s National Court. The prosecutors’ office said the allegations were tied to media reports published earlier this week that described attacks against two women who worked in his Caribbean homes between January and October 2021.
The Spanish prosecutors’ office that handles cases for Spain’s National Court said it received formal allegations against Iglesias on Jan. 5 from an unnamed party. The Madrid-based court, the court’s press office said, can try alleged crimes by Spanish citizens while they are abroad, which means the case could potentially be brought before the National Court.
Iglesias has yet to speak publicly about the accusations, and a request for comment by the Associated Press to his representative was not immediately answered. Russell L. King, a Miami-based entertainment lawyer who lists Iglesias as a client on his website, did not respond right away.
Seeking justice in Spain over the Caribbean, Women’s Link Worldwide said it was representing the two women who presented the complaint to the Spanish court. The organization said the women were accusing Iglesias of “crimes against sexual freedom and indemnity such as sexual harassment” and of “human trafficking for the purpose of forced labor and servitude.”
Women’s Link Worldwide also said the women’s testimony accused Iglesias of regularly checking their cellphones, prohibiting them from leaving the house where they worked, and demanding that they work up to 16 hours a day, with no contract and no days off. The organization said it did not contact authorities in the Bahamas or the Dominican Republic and did not know whether those governments have opened investigations.
In an online press conference Wednesday, Women’s Link Worldwide senior attorney Gema Fernández said Spanish legislation regarding sexual violence, gender-based violence and trafficking could be “an interesting option” for the women. Fernández said prosecutors were the route that best matched the women’s definition of justice, adding that the group supports them along that path.
Women’s Link Worldwide executive director Jovana Ríos Cisneros asserted that Spanish prosecutors decided to take statements from the two women and granted them the status of protected witnesses. “Being heard by the Prosecutor’s Office is a very important step in the search for justice,” Ríos said. Fernández said prosecutors had not set a date to take statements and that prosecutors have up to six months to determine whether the information warrants criminal prosecution, with the possibility that it could be extended to a year in exceptional circumstances.
The allegations drew attention after Spanish online newspaper elDiario.es and Spanish-language television channel Univision Noticias published a joint investigation. Ríos said the women initially contacted elDiario.es, which began investigating and also advised them to seek legal help.
Spanish government spokeswoman Elma Saiz said on Tuesday that the media reports “demanded respect,” and she reaffirmed the government’s commitment to take on any act of violence, harassment or aggression against women. In the Dominican Republic, Attorney General’s Office spokesman Panky Corcino declined to comment, saying he could not confirm or deny an investigation. The Associated Press reported that by law, cases in the Dominican Republic involving sexual aggression or violence must be investigated by prosecutors even if no one has filed a complaint.
Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun said Wednesday that Spain’s left-wing government, which lists women’s rights and equality among its priorities, will also consider stripping Iglesias of the state’s Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts that he received in 2010. “It is something we are studying and evaluating, because evidently we feel obliged to do so when faced by such a serious case,” Urtasun said.