Spain’s Supreme Court said on Wednesday it would hear one of the two paternity suits lodged against the nation’s former king, in the latest blow to the beleaguered Spanish royal family.
The legal challenge is the first to be admitted against Juan Carlos, who lost his full immunity from legal prosecution when he abdicated in June in favor of his son, Felipe.
In an effort to protect the 77-year-old former monarch, the Spanish government rushed through special legislation granting him protection from lower courts. However, he must still answer to the Supreme Court.
The court said on Wednesday it would study a paternity claim filed by a Belgian national, Ingrid Sartiau. Born in 1966 — about a year after the birth of Juan Carlos’ youngest daughter, Cristina — Sartiau claims her mother had a relationship with him while he was crown prince.
Juan Carlos and his legal team have 20 days to challenge the court’s decision. A spokesperson for the palace declined to comment on the matter, saying only that it respected the independence of the judicial system.
The Supreme Court’s decision follows a series of scandals that have seen the royal family’s popularity plummet in recent years. As King Felipe VI makes an effort to freshen up the monarchy’s image with promises of honesty and transparency, he has been continually challenged. Last week a judge in Spain rejected an appeal filed by sister Cristina’s legal team, bringing the princess one step closer to an unprecedented trial on charges of tax fraud.
Cristina is charged with two counts of being an accessory to tax fraud while her husband, the former Olympic handball player Inaki Urdangarin, faces charges of money laundering and fraud. Both have denied any wrongdoing.
The Supreme Court also said on Wednesday it had dismissed the second paternity suit against Juan Carlos, lodged by Alberto Sola Jimenez, owing to a lack of evidence. Born in 1956 and adopted as a child, Sola Jimenez claims that his biological mother, who was from a prominent Catalan banking family, had a relationship with Juan Carlos before he married Queen Sofia.
Sola Jimenez and Sartiau made headlines in 2012 after they announced that a DNA test had shown there was a 91 percent chance they were siblings. In an interview with the Guardian in July, Sola Jimenez’s lawyer said his client would take his case before the European Court of Human Rights.
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