Former Spanish King Juan Carlos Goes into Exile over Corruption Scandal

By Democracy Now

HAVANA TIMES – In Spain, the royal family is refusing to disclose the whereabouts of former King Juan Carlos, after it was announced Monday he was going into exile in the wake of a corruption scandal that has rocked the monarchy in recent months.

In June, the Spanish Supreme Court launched a probe into Juan Carlos’s involvement with a Saudi rail contract, after a Swiss newspaper reported he received $100 million from the late Saudi Arabian King Abdullah.

Juan Carlos abdicated as king in 2014 after another corruption investigation drew scrutiny to the royal family’s finances.

He is the father of the sitting king, Felipe VI, who has distanced himself from Juan Carlos, including renouncing his inheritance in March, as the scandal erupted.