Majorcan court opens tax probe into the Duchess of Palma

Judge Jose Castro in Palma demanded the tax authorities provide him with a report on Cristina's property and non-property assets, investment funds, financial assets and deposits, a copy of the order showed. The judge is presiding over an inquiry into allegations of embezzlement against the 47-year-old princess' husband, the former Olympic handball player Iñaki Urdangarin.

Respite
Cristina won some respite on May 7 when judges spared her for the time being from being called into court to be questioned as a formal suspect in the embezzlement case.

But they said she may yet be summoned to the court in Palma in another branch of the affair: a tax and money-laundering case also linked to her husband.

Castro is investigating accusations that Urdangarin and his former business partner Diego Torres embezzled six million euros in public funds meant for sports events through their Noos Institute.

Some of the funds came from the Balearic government then presided over by Jaume Matas who is also embroiled in a series of alleged corruption cases.
Charged
The money was allegedly placed in the non-profit Noos Institute, which Urdangarin chaired from 2004 to 2006 and of which Cristina was a board member.
Neither she nor Urdangarin has been charged with any crime.
There were further developments yesterday in the investigation.
Castro subpoenaed another 25 witnesses which he would like to question in Palma and amongst those is the former chairman of Barcelona Football Club and leading hotelier, Joan Gaspart.

The news will only cause further embarrassment for the Spanish royal family which has been fighting a losing battle recently to improve its image and its ratings in the opinion polls.

Urdangarin has already been asked to no longer use his title, the Duke of Palma, and a street named in their honour has been reverted to its original name amidst calls for them both to be stripped of their title by opposition parties here in Majorca.