Two former staffers file sexual violence lawsuit against Julio Iglesias in Spanish courts

In January, two former employees of Julio Iglesias presented a denunciation to the Fiscalía of the Audiencia Nacional, which ruled it lacked competence to investigate the alleged crimes. The women, referred to by the feminist NGO Women’s Link Worldwide as Laura and Rebeca, maintain that the singer exploited their vulnerability, transporting them to his properties in the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic in 2021, where they suffered continuous sexual harassment, assault, and degrading working conditions.

The NGO, which previously advised the pair, announced that they have now filed a criminal complaint (querella) before the Central Investigating Court of the Audiencia Nacional, despite the prosecutor’s earlier jurisdictional finding. The prosecutor, Marta Durántez, noted that the alleged acts occurred abroad and that the complainants have no significant ties to Spain, and Iglesias has not set foot in the country for years.

Women’s Link Worldwide is urging Spanish judges to adopt a broad interpretation of jurisdiction in line with academic opinion. No judge has yet taken up the case.