The Nóos trial in Palma, which has been going on since January, has drawn to a close. All that remains are the considerations of the judges' panel and of course sentencing. Today there were the final observations by defence lawyers, while the seventeen accused, among them Princess Cristina and her husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, all declined to speak and exercise their rights to have the final say.
Pau Molins, the princess's lawyer, spoke for almost two hours in condemning the action that Manos Limpias had brought against his client. He said that the union, in bringing a private prosecution whereas the state did not prosecute, had acted in bad faith. He went on to say that Manos Limpias wanted only to conduct criminal proceedings for its own interests. He argued that its lawyer had not produced evidence to support any of the criteria by which the princess might be deemed to have enabled tax offences by Urdangarin.
The demand for an eight-year prison sentence was "totally disproportionate" and unprecedented in Spanish legal history. Molins added that a reason why the princess had not responded to questions from Manos Limpias' lawyer was in order "not to give Manos Limpias the show" that it had sought.
The president of the judges' panel, Samantha Romero, officially ended the trial at one minute to one o'clock. Since 11 January, the court has heard from more than 300 witnesses and experts as well as from the accused. Six prosecutors were involved. The state's anti-corruption prosecution in the person of the chief prosecutor in the Balearics, Pedro Horrach; the national attorney's office; the Balearic attorney; the town hall of Valencia's prosecutor and Manos Limpias all pursued criminal charges, while the Valencia regional attorney brought a civil action.
The trial has generated enormous media interest with up to 590 journalists and others from 84 national and international media outlets having been accredited to follow it.
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The "Noose" tightens!
Or to avoid incriminating herself.