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Spain confirms disgraced former king Juan Carlos in UAE

Tuesday, 18 August 2020 5:44 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 18 August 2020 10:34 AM ]

A man walks past graffiti by Valencian artist J. Warx that depicts former Spanish king Juan Carlos saying “Kids, later I’ll make you a Bizum (e-transfer)” in a street of Valencia, Spain, on August 8, 2020. (Photo by AFP)

Spain’s disgraced former king Juan Carlos has traveled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) amid an ongoing investigation into his alleged acceptance of bribes from Saudi Arabia, the Spanish royal family has confirmed.

A spokesperson for Spain’s royal family announced on Monday that the former king, who abdicated in 2014 in favor of his son Felipe, had “indicated to the royal household to communicate that on August 3, he traveled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and that is where he remains at present.”

The royal family, however, did not specify whether Juan Carlos was in the UAE’s capital of Abu Dhabi or respond to inquiries about how long he intended to stay in the Arab state.

Spain’s pro-monarchy ABC newspaper reported last week that Juan Carlos had flown in a private plane to Abu Dhabi and was staying at the government-owned Emirates Palace Hotel, where a suite can cost as much as 13,000 dollars per night.

The confirmation came two weeks after an official announcement that the former king was leaving Spain. That announcement set off an international guessing game, with Portugal and the Dominican Republic mentioned as potential destinations for the 82-year-old former monarch.

Protesters launched rallies across Spain last week calling for an end to monarchical rule in the country after Juan Carlos’ departure into self-exile.

Protesters in Spain call for end to monarchical rule

Protesters in Spain call for an end to monarchical rule in the country, following the departure of the former scandal-hit king into exile.

Juan Carlos relinquished power in 2014, two years after revelations that he had flown off to Botswana on an elephant-hunting tour while Spain was grappling with the economic devastation resulting from the 2008 financial crisis.

Back in March, Spain’s current King Felipe stripped his father of his annual salary and relinquished his personal inheritance following reports that he was in line to receive millions of euros from a secret offshore fund with ties to Saudi Arabia.

Three month later, Spain’s Supreme Court launched a legal probe into Juan Carlos’ role in a deal in which a Spanish consortium won a contract worth 6.7 billion euros to build a high-speed rail line between the holy cities of Medina and Mecca in Saudi Arabia.