Julio Iglesias accused of sexual assault : NPR

Spanish singer Julio Iglesias smiles during the unveiling ceremony for his Walk of Fame star in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, September 29, 2016.

Carlos Giusti/AP

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Carlos Giusti/AP

BARCELONA, Spain — Spanish prosecutors are looking into allegations that Grammy-winning singer Julio Iglesias sexually assaulted two former employees at his residences in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.

The Spanish prosecutor’s office told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the allegations were linked to media reports earlier this week that Iglesias sexually and physically assaulted two women who worked at his Caribbean residences between January and October 2021.

Iglesias has yet to speak publicly about these allegations. Russell L. King, a Miami-based entertainment lawyer who lists Iglesias as a client on his website, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP.

The Spanish prosecutor’s office that handles cases from the Spanish National Court said it received formal allegations against Iglesias on Jan. 5 from an anonymous party. Iglesias could potentially be brought before the Madrid-based court, which can try alleged crimes committed by Spanish citizens while they are abroad, according to the court’s press service.

Seeking justice in Spain in the Caribbean

Women’s Link Worldwide, a non-governmental organization, said in a statement that it represented the two women who filed the complaint in the Spanish court. The group said the women accused Iglesias of “crimes against sexual freedom and compensation such as sexual harassment” and “human trafficking for forced labor and servitude.”

The organization said the women in their testimony also accused Iglesias of regularly checking their cell phones, forbidding them from leaving the house where they worked and demanding that they work up to 16 hours a day, without contracts or days off.

The organization said it had not contacted authorities in the Bahamas or the Dominican Republic and did not know whether authorities in those Caribbean countries had opened an investigation.

Gema Fernández, senior lawyer for Women’s Link Worldwide, said in an online press conference on Wednesday that “Spanish legislation regarding sexual violence, gender-based violence and trafficking could be an interesting option” for the two women making the allegations against Iglesias.

“Listening to what (the two women) are looking for and their definitions of justice, it seems to us that filing a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Spanish National Court was the path that best corresponded to their definition of justice. That is why we support them in this path,” Fernández said.

Jovana Ríos Cisneros, executive director of Women’s Link Worldwide, said Spanish prosecutors decided to take statements from the two women and granted them protected witness status.

“Being heard by the prosecution is a very important step in the search for justice,” she said.

Fernández said prosecutors have not set a date to collect the women’s statements and noted that prosecutors have up to six months to determine whether the information they receive warrants criminal charges. These six months could exceptionally be extended up to a year, she added.

The prosecutor’s office did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

A singer under surveillance

Spanish online newspaper elDiario.es and Spanish-language television channel Univision Noticias published the joint investigation into Iglesias’ alleged misconduct.

Ríos said the two women initially contacted elDiario.es, which began investigating the allegations, but also advised them to seek legal help.

Spanish government spokeswoman Elma Saiz said media reports about Iglesias “demanded respect.”

“Once again, I can reaffirm this government’s firm and total commitment to tackling any act of violence, harassment or assault against women,” Saiz said Tuesday after the media reports emerged.

Panky Corcino, a spokesperson for the Dominican Republic attorney general’s office, declined to comment, saying he could neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation.

By law, any case involving sexual assault or violence in the Caribbean country must be investigated by prosecutors, even if no one has filed a complaint.

Iglesias, 82, is one of the most successful musical artists in the world having sold more than 300 million records in more than a dozen languages. After debuting in Spain, he gained immense popularity in the United States and around the world in the 1970s and 1980s. He is the father of pop singer Enrique Iglesias.

Julio Iglesias won the Grammy for Best Latin Pop Performance in 1988 for his album “Un Hombre Solo.” He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys in 2019.

Spain’s culture minister said Wednesday that his left-wing government, which places women’s rights and equality among its priorities, would also consider stripping Iglesias of the State Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts, which was awarded to him in 2010.

“This is something that we are studying and evaluating, because we obviously feel obliged to do it in the face of such a serious case,” said Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun.