31/12/2011 00:00
TW
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Palma.—The Palma court has ordered him to testify on February 6 in an investigation into the alleged misuse of millions of euros in public funds at his non-profit Noos Institute, which he ran from 2004 to 2006. Urdangarin has denied any wrongdoing, but he apologised publicly this month for the embarrassment his legal problems were causing the royal family, which he said had nothing to do with his business affairs. The investigation found evidence of the alleged misuse of public funds, forgery and fraud in 2003 to 2006, a period when Noos had an income of 15 million euros, according to local press reports. They said Noos organised two tourism conferences for the Balearic government, then led by former Partido Popular President Jaume Matas, charging 2.3 million euros, and apparently channelled more than half of that money to companies owned by Urdangarin or his business partners, for items such as logistical support. The same pattern has apparently been detected in sports summits staged in Valencia.
According to press reports, the probe also found that Urdangarin's companies were not able to justify the payments. Yesterday, the royal family said that they had “absolute respect” for the court's decisions, according to a spokesperson. Judge Jose Castro, who yesterday named Urdangarin as a formal suspect in the criminal probe, released a one page document but it did not mention the allegations.

The case against the duke is one of several big fraud scandals in Spanish courts, most of them dating to the real estate and urban development boom before the global financial crisis when local governments went on spending sprees. Spain's royals have distanced the duke from official events. He and his wife and four children moved in 2009 to Washington, where he represents Spanish telecoms group Telefonica. Transparency
In a display of transparency apparently prompted by the case, the royal family disclosed income details on Wednesday for the first time, showing that the king and his immediate family received 814'128 euros last year for personal expenses. Most of their living expenses, including housing, official travel, security, state dinners, utility bills, palace staff and transportation, are covered under other budgets, such as the foreign ministry, the interior ministry and the presidency. A monthly opinion poll by the Social Research Centre, or CIS, shows that the historically high approval ratings for the royal family have fallen this year. King Juan Carlos, 73, is well liked and widely respected for overseeing the country's tense transition to democracy following Francisco Franco's nearly four-decade-long dictatorship. His son, Prince Felipe, is heir to the throne.