Princess Cristina in front of the other accused in the Nóos trial. | Ultima Hora

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After all the waiting, Princess Cristina was finally called to declare yesterday evening in the Nóos trial. Her lawyer, Pau Molins, told the court that the princess would exercise her right not to answer questions from prosecutors, which in this instance was only Virginia López Negrete, representing Manos Limpias, which has brought a private action against the princess.

López presented questions over a period of threequarters of an hour, none of which were answered. Molins at one point intervened about the nature of the questions, which the presiding judge, Samantha Romero, allowed to continue, only herself intervening on procedural matters. The Manos Limpias questions ranged from the princess's involvement with Aizoon, the company of which she was co-owner with her husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, to specific payments of a personal nature.

Responding to Molins, the princess confirmed that she played no significant role in Aizoon and that she had only become a co-owner because her husband had asked her to be and that this was done purely as a matter of trust on behalf of Urdangarin. She added that she had not known about its revenues or costs and that the company had been established as a means of channelling revenues that her husband had earned.

Molins expressed his annoyance with the "impertinent" nature of some of López's questions and received support from two other lawyers in this respect. None of the other prosecutors representing different interests, such as the Balearic government or the chief prosecutor, Pedro Horrach, or lawyers for the other accused had questions for the princess. The questioning was, therefore, only on behalf of the private action by Manos Limpias.

Before the princess was called, Iñaki Urdangarin spent a third day taking questions.  He said that Princess Cristina knew "vaguely" about the consultancy services that were paid for through Aizoon, the company of which the couple were co-owners and also said that his wife's half share in Aizoon was simply a personal issue of trust. He added that his wife had no actual function with the company. He explained that board meetings of Aizoon were not attended personally and that advisers drew up documentation that was later signed. The former Duke of Palma said that at no time did the ex-king, Juan Carlos, intervene in his private business affairs or those of the princess.

The declarations and questioning of the accused have now finished, and the court will sit again next week when the first of some potentially 300 or more witnesses and experts will be called.