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A Royal Household spokesperson instructed CNN after publication of the letter on Monday that the former monarch “has left already,” however declined to disclose the place he has gone.
Earlier, his lawyer Javier Sanchez-Junco instructed CNN that Juan Carlos’ transfer out of Spain was imminent, insisting he did not know the place the former King was headed.
Spanish and worldwide media have reported on the alleged financial dealings of the former King, now 82, even earlier than he abdicated in 2014, and on the efforts of his son to distance himself from his father.
King Felipe expressed ” heartfelt respect and gratitude” for his father’s resolution to go away the country, in response to a press launch from the Royal Household.
“The King wishes to emphasize the historical importance that his father’s reign represents, his legacy and his political and institutional work for Spain and democracy; and at the same time he wants to reaffirm the principles and values on which it (Spain’s democracy) is based,” the press launch mentioned.
In the letter saying his departure, Juan Carlos wrote: “A year ago, I expressed my will and desire to stop performing institutional activities. Now, guided by the conviction to perform the best service to the Spanish people, their institutions and you as King, I am communicating my thoughtful decision to move, at this time, outside of Spain.”
“A decision I make with sadness, but with great serenity. I have been King of Spain for almost forty years and, during all of them, I have always wanted the best for Spain and for the Crown,” mentioned the letter, printed by the Royal Household.
Growing scrutiny
Juan Carlos, who’s now 82, is broadly credited with serving to to information Spain to democracy after the lengthy dictatorship of Francisco Franco. But in recent times, his picture has suffered.
In 2014, he abdicated underneath a cloud of financial scandal and criticism of his elephant-hunting journey to Botswana throughout Spain’s financial disaster in 2012.
In March, King Felipe ended the annual public stipend paid to his father and renounced any private inheritance from him.
The official mentioned the speculation is that the cash might have been associated to a contract for a Spanish consortium’s building of a high-speed prepare between Medina and Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
The legal professional basic’s workplace in Spain mentioned in a press release final June eight {that a} Supreme Court investigation was targeted on the high-speed rail mission in Saudi Arabia — and that Juan Carlos’ identify had come up within the case.
The former king’s lawyer mentioned in a press release Monday that although he’s leaving Spain, Juan Carlos needed to make public that he “remains at the disposition of [Spanish prosecutors] for any formalities or actions considered opportune.”
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