MADRID – Spanish state prosecutors have decided to halt their initial inquiry into sexual assault allegations against Julio Iglesias, citing that Spain’s National Court does not have the jurisdiction to handle the case involving incidents in the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.
Earlier in the month, prosecutors in Spain had begun looking into claims that the 82-year-old Grammy-winning singer sexually assaulted two former employees at his homes located in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.
In response to these allegations, Iglesias took to social media, expressing his denial. “I am deeply saddened by the accusations made by two former employees,” he stated. “I categorically deny any abuse, coercion, or disrespect towards any woman. These claims are entirely false and deeply distressing.”
Attempts to obtain a comment from a Florida-based attorney, whose website lists Iglesias as a client, went unanswered.
The complaint was submitted to the Spanish court by two women, as reported by Women’s Link Worldwide, a non-profit organization representing them. The women accused Iglesias of offenses related to “sexual freedom and indemnity, including sexual harassment,” as well as “human trafficking for forced labor and servitude.”
Additionally, the women alleged that Iglesias monitored their cellphones, restricted their movements, and required them to work up to 16 hours daily without a contract or days off.
When the complaint was filed in Spain, the organization said it had not reached out to authorities in the Bahamas or the Dominican Republic and didn’t know whether investigations had begun in those Caribbean nations.
Iglesias has been among the world’s most successful singers in the decades since his 1969 debut album, “Yo Canto.” He has sold more than 300 million records in more than a dozen languages.
After making his start in Spain, Iglesias won immense popularity in the U.S. and wider world in the 1970s and 1980s, partly due to duets with U.S. artists including Willie Nelson and Diana Ross.
He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 and in 1988 won a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Performance for his album “Un Hombre Solo.”
He’s also the father of pop star Enrique Iglesias.
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