British justice denies immunity to the king emeritus in the face of Corinna’s lawsuit

Judge Matthew Nicklin, of the High Court of England and Wales, has denied the immunity of the king emeritus over the claim for reparations for damages filed in London by Corinna Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn against Juan Carlos de Borbón y Borbón. Neither plaintiff nor defendant, nor her respective attorneys were present in court.

The judge has called for a new hearing on March 29, in which he will analyze in more detail the claims of the plaintiffs. Nicklin asks the former lover of the emeritus to modify her claim, recognizing that General Félix Sanz Roldán did not act in the case as director of the intelligence service, CNI, but that he mediated it in his personal capacity.

In her lawsuit, Corinna, who would have established an intimate relationship with the then King of Spain in 2004, accused him of harassment; of having incited illegal surveillance and intrusions in her homes in Monaco and in England, by the intelligence service, CNI, or her contractors; and to defame her, since the breakup of her friendship, in 2012.

Juan Carlos’s ex-lover denounced in her lawsuit that the harassment occurred after she rejected a request to marry. The king emeritus would have then demanded that he return 65 million euros that she would have transferred from the Locum Foundation, a fund registered in Panama and managed in Switzerland.

The fund would have been created with the gift that the late Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdelaziz would have given to the emeritus as a commission for the construction contract for a high-speed train line to a consortium of Spanish companies. Corinna refused to return the money or make the account available to her ex-lover, considering that it is legally an “irrevocable donation.”

In the hearings of the case, in December, his lawyers described telephone calls from Juan Carlos, visits and intimidating conversations from the then head of the CNI, General Félix Sanz Roldán. Also, attempts to corrupt his driver and his personal assistant, interception of electronic communications, pressure on his two sons, disrepute in the press and among his friends, and continuous monitoring by “well-dressed and Mediterranean-looking” men. .

Repairs

The emeritus king’s lawyers claimed his immunity so that his acts as head of state are judged in England. They also invoked the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713, in which peace and friendship between the kingdoms of Spain and Great Britain were sealed. In its first article, they promised that “neither party attempts under any pretext anything that is detrimental or harmful to the other, nor can or should help or help for any reason whoever tries or wants to cause it any detriment”.

Corinna’s lawsuit asked the court for measures to prevent further harassment, the prohibition that Juan Carlos communicate with her or make defamatory comments, or be less than 250 meters from their residences. Without naming a specific amount, she sought compensation for the loss of clients of her consultancy as a result of the defamation, and for costs she has incurred to protect her health, her personal safety and that of her children. she, of lawyers and advisers.

The sentence comes six days before Kings Felipe VI and Letizia attend the religious ceremony in Westminster Abbey in memory of the late Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Elizabeth II. The queen will later visit, accompanied by the Prince of Wales, Bishop Auckland Castle, in the north of England, which hosts the series ‘Jacob and his sons’ by Francisco de Zurbarán. And also the museum of Spanish painting of the Golden Age, created there by patron Jonathan Ruffer.

The High Court is equivalent to the Spanish Supreme Court and, in a case with substantive legal issues, it could open the door for the losing party to submit an appeal request to the English Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the country. .