Iceland leader quits over Panama Papers

The Prime Minister of Iceland quit on Tuesday because of a new global financial scandal. Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson resigned because his name was in secret documents leaked from a Panama law firm. Journalists reported on the 11.5 million leaked e-mails and letters over the weekend. They contain information about how the world's richest and most famous people avoid paying tax. Thousands of the world's most powerful people appear in the documents. Iceland's leader is the first to resign because of the scandal. The Panama Papers name over 215,000 companies and 14,153 clients of the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, including many current and former world leaders.

Many governments and celebrities around the world are now trying to keep the scandal from hitting them. British Prime Minister David Cameron could be embarrassed because his father was one of the law firm's clients. Sports figures identified in the leaks include Lionel Messi and the new FIFA president Gianni Infantino. He is shocked that people are questioning his honesty. Mossack Fonseca could also be in trouble. Journalists say it worked with 33 people or companies that were part of international sanctions, including a cousin of the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, and companies in North Korea. A British tax expert said there is up to $32 trillion in untaxed financial wealth around the world.

7th April, 2016

Click HERE to read and listen at the same time

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Robert Palmer:The Panama Papers exposed a huge global problem. What's next? ( video with English subtitles)

ARE YOU AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY?

In a Nutshell

Yes

No

Financial costs to taxpayers of capital punishment is several times that of keeping someone in prison for life. It is barbaric and violates the "cruel and unusual" clause in the Bill of Rights. The endless appeals and required additional procedures clog our court system. We as a society have to move away from the "eye for an eye" revenge mentality if civilization is to advance. It sends the wrong message: why kill people who kill people to show killing is wrong. Life in prison is a worse punishment and a more effective deterrent. Other countries (especially in Europe) would have a more favourable image of America. Some jury members are reluctant to convict if it means putting someone to death. The prisoner's family must suffer from seeing their loved one put to death by the state, as well as going through the emotionally-draining appeals process. The possibility exists that innocent men and women may be put to death. Mentally ill patients may be put to death. It creates sympathy for the monstrous perpetrators of the crimes. It often draws top talent lawyers who will work for little or no cost due to the publicity of the case and their personal beliefs against the morality of the death penalty, increasing the chances a technicality or a manipulated jury will release a guilt person. It is useless in that it doesn't bring the victim back to life.

The death penalty gives closure to the victim's families who have suffered so much. It creates another form of crime deterrent. Justice is better served. Our justice system shows more sympathy for criminals than it does victims. It provides a deterrent for prisoners already serving a life sentence. DNA testing and other methods of modern crime scene science can now effectively eliminate almost all uncertainty as to a person's guilt or innocence. Prisoner parole or escapes can give criminals another chance to kill. It contributes to the problem of overpopulation in the prison system. It gives prosecutors another bargaining chip in the plea bargain process, which is essential in cutting costs in an overcrowded court system

U.S. man released from death row

Click here and listen to the report

An American man, who spent nearly three decades on death row, was set free on Tuesday after being exonerated on new evidence. Glenn Ford walked out of a Louisiana State Penitentiary late Tuesday, 29 years after being convicted of armed robbery and first-degree murder and sentenced to death.

A judge exonerated Ford of all charges and ordered him released, based on new evidence that came to light last year.

Ford, now 64, told reporters “it feels good” to be released but he bears resentment for his imprisonment, which kept him from raising his family.

“I was locked up almost 30 years, I can’t go back and do anything that I should have been doing when I was 35, 38, 40, stuff like that. My son, when I left, was a baby and now he’s a grown man with (a) baby,” he said.

A jury had convicted Ford for the 1983 murder of Isadore Rozeman. The 56-year-old watchmaker, for whom Ford had done occasional yard work, was found shot to death in his jewelry shop.

Ford always maintained his innocence and had filed several appeals, most of which were denied.

But in 2000, the Louisiana Supreme Court ordered a hearing based on Ford's claim that the prosecution had suppressed favorable evidence related to two suspects initially implicated in the crime.

Last Thursday, prosecutors filed a motion, stating that “credible evidence” emerged in late 2013 “supporting a finding that Ford was neither present at, nor a participant in, the robbery and murder of Isadore Rozeman.”

Court records show that an unidentified informant in 2013 told prosecutors that Jake Robinson, one of the original suspects, had admitted to shooting and killing the victim.

Suspect of secretly recording Princess’s testimony arrested

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The police on Wednesday arrested the main suspect behind a surreptitious video recording of Princess Cristina as she testified in court on February 8 over her role in a tax fraud and money laundering case.

Francisco José Carvajal, a lawyer from Málaga, is suspected of being the person who recorded the statements, then distributed them. The recording, which shows very blurry images and has poor sound, was soon available on a video-sharing website named Wouzee. Later, the national newspaper El Mundo published a still image captured from this site.

After being interrogated for an hour and a half, Carvajal was arrested on charges of disobedience. He was later released on his own recognizance. Examining Judge José Castro had specifically forbidden any recording devices in the room and decided that the testimony by King Juan Carlos's youngest daughter would not be officially captured on video either, only as a voice recording. Security measures at the door of the Palma de Mallorca courthouse were extreme, with guards on the lookout for hidden cameras.The spot where Carvajal sat in the courtroom coincided with the angle of the images seen on Wouzee. Prior to the arrest, the police had interrogated all the lawyers and public servants present in the room, to determine where each one had sat during the six and a half hours that Doña Cristina answered the judge's questions. The angle suggested that the recording was made from the area reserved for lawyers and civil servants, behind Doña Cristina.
Over 200 agents had been deployed by the Interior Ministry to prevent such a circumstance. There were metal detectors and an X-ray tunnel at the door, and some people were frisked for recording devices. While the princess testified, the police emitted special frequencies to inhibit cellphones and other forms of wireless communications. Bags were searched, and zealous agents even took apart the pen brought in by the anticorruption attorney in the Balearics, Pedro Horrach.

Cristina was testifying in connection with her husband Iñaki Urdangarin's dubious business practices. He and a business partner are believed to have diverted millions of euros from no-bid contracts earned through a phoney non-profit from the governments of Valencia and the Balearics. A lot of the money was channelled to private companies, including Aizoon, owned jointly by Urdangarin and the princess. Infanta Cristina's credit card history shows she used part of this money to pay for private expenses.

http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/02/26/inenglish/1393431298_058978.html

Arrest: to deprive (a person) of liberty by taking him into custody, esp under lawful authority- arrestar/ detener
Suspect  (n) a person who is under suspicion (v) to believe guilty of a specified offence without proof- sospechoso, sospechar
Testify:  to declare or give (evidence) under oath, esp in court - testificar/ declarar
Court : tribunal
Tax fraud :  crime of deception to evade taxes) - fraude fiscal
Money laundering: Legitimization (washing) of illegally obtained money to hide its true nature or source- blanqueo de dinero
Lawyer: a member of the legal profession - solicitor- abogado
Be suspected of:  believed guilty of- ser sospechoso de
Statement:  something that you say or write in a formal or official way- declaración
Interrogate:  to ask (someone) questions in a thorough and often forceful way-  interrogar 
Be arrested on charges of : ser detenido bajo cargos de / ser detenido acusado de…
Charge: official accusation- cargo 
Released on his own recognizance: puesto en libertad bajo palabra/ fianza
Testimony: evidence given by a witness- testimonio, declaración 
Courthouse: law court building- juzgado
On the lookout for :be vigilant /to be alert for, keep an eye open for- estar atentos / en alerta para / a la caza de 
To interrogate: to question (a witness in court, spy, etc) closely- interrogar 
Public servant/ Civil servant: a person who works for the government /a person who works in the civil service / a government official or employee- funcionario público 
Deploy : to organize and send out (people or things) to be used for a particular purpose- desplegar 
Metal detector
Be frisked for Sth / frisk: to search (someone) by feeling for concealed weapons, etc- cachear, registrar
Zealous: enthusiastic, filled with or inspired by intense enthusiasm- entusiasta, fervoroso, ferviente 
Attorney: lawyer- abogado
Testify: give evidence in court- testificar
Dubious: marked by or causing doubt- dudoso 
Business practices: prácticas comerciales
Business partner: socio
Divert: to turn from one course or use to another- desviar
No-bid contracts: contratos sin licitación contratos a dedo
Phoney : not true, real, or genuine : intended to make someone think something that is not true- falsa
non-profit : not run to make money - sin fines lucrativos , sin ánimo de lucro
Be channelled to: canalizado hacia
Jointly: in collaboration, together- cojuntamente
Private expenses: expense: an amount of money that must be spent especially regularly to pay for something- gastos privados 

Five arrested in Spain’s first case of human organ trafficking

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In the first bust of its kind in Spain, judicial police in Valencia arrested five people – all non-Spaniards – who were allegedly involved in a major human organ trafficking ring. 

The case broke after a rich 61-year-old Lebanese man had tried to use the organization for a liver transplant. It was not immediately clear when the arrests were made. 

In 2012, an NGO alerted authorities that a group was offering high sums of money to migrants without papers to purchase their vital organs, such as kidneys and sections of liver. Around the same time health authorities in Valencia detected that a group of people was undergoing complicated procedures at a private clinic. 

A 2010 Penal Code reform prohibits anyone in Spain from buying or selling human organs. All such procedures are regulated by the National Transplant Organization (ONT), which compiles waiting lists and seeks donors. Under the law, organs can be donated by family members of dead loved ones or by people who wish to leave them when they die. But the ONT has strict guidelines for such transplants as well as for donors. 

Last year, more than 4,200 legal transplants were conducted in Spain with kidneys and liver the organs most frequently substituted. 

The man from Lebanon, who was not identified but was also arrested in the sting , holds an important political position in his country and had traveled to Spain after he reportedly contacted the group. Lebanese health professionals had told the man of the advanced organ transplant procedures that take place in Spain. 

A number of people – the exact figure was not given by sources in the case – underwent tests that cost as much as €15,000 at the private clinic to determine their compatibility with those needing transplants. 

The majority of the migrants who offered their vital organs were poor. One woman was a perfect match and was willing to donate part of her liver for the sick man in exchange for €40,000. At first, the Lebanese man was happy with the deal but backed down when he found out the donor was a woman; he considered that accepting the transplant would be going against his Islamic beliefs. 

The Lebanese man was eventually able to receive his transplant in a legal operation – one of his children donated part of their own liver – but he was arrested in Madrid after traveling there to undergo medical examinations after the procedure.

VOCABULARY
BUST: raid, arrest (redada)ALLEGEDLY: supuestamente
INVOLVED IN: involucrado en
MAJOR:  large (gran)
RING: banda
UNDERGO: pass through, experience (someterse a) 
PROCEDURE: series of steps (procedimientos) 
COMPILE: collect , gather(recopila)
CONDUCT: carry out (llevar a cabo) 
STING: operación encubierta
REPORTEDLY: allegedly (supuestamente , según consta)
WILLING TO: ready, favourably disposed (dispuesto a) 
DEAL : trato
BACK DOWN : echarse atrás

Lebanese mayor arrested in Spain, accused of offering £33,000 to anyone who could get him a liver for a transplant

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The wealthy mayor of a Lebanese town has been arrested in Spain over allegations he offered to pay poor migrants 40,000 euros (£33,500) for a liver transplant. 

The 61-year-old was arrested in January at Manises Airport, Valencia, and is on bail in the country facing preliminary charges of alleged organ trafficking.

Authorities would not release his name, nor those of his alleged accomplices, because the suspects were the subjects of an ongoing court investigation.

'The main message is that no country is totally free of this problem, so that everybody should be alert,'

'Organ trafficking is more or less like slaves of some centuries ago. It's the way some people really control other people. It's exploitation of human beings.'

Police say the mayor enlisted four alleged accomplices - three Lebanese and a Palestinian - who recruited nine poor people to have liver compatibility tests at a clinic in Valencia last summer.

Just one, a Romanian immigrant, proved to be a match. But when he went with the Lebanese mayor to a Barcelona transplant clinic, medical workers blocked the procedure, police said.

Spanish rules stipulate that organs must only be donated for altruistic reasons by donors who are family members or close friends of the recipient.

Hospital staff quickly discovered that the Lebanese mayor did not have that kind of relationship with his Romanian donor.

The mayor eventually got his liver transplant using tissue donated by his son, who had earlier been turned down after tests in Lebanon where medics had told him he was too young.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2579827/Lebanese-mayor-arrested-Spain-organ-trafficking-allegations-Police-say-offered-pay-poor-people-liver-tissue.html

Police arrest man who held nine-year-old Catalan girl captive in Bolivian jungle

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Grover Morales, who allegedly kidnapped the youngster, wanted to marry her

Police on Thursday announced the arrest of a 35-year-old man in Bolivia who had been wanted for kidnapping a young girl in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona) and holding her captive in a jungle.

According to authorities, Grover Morales had been hiding out with the nine-year-old girl for the past seven months, holding her hostage in at least three different areas of a Bolivian rain forest before authorities caught up with him.

Morales allegedly forced her to walk for days in dense areas in which he literally had to clear a path with a machete, police said.

Spanish Civil Guard officers spent four months tracking Morales in the Yunga de Totora jungle and sought help from coca growers in the region.

Police sources said Morales decided to keep the girl to himself and eventually wanted to marry her

On March 8, authorities found the girl sleeping on a dirt floor in a shanty community.

“She started crying when she heard us speaking a language she was familiar with,” said Civil Guard Captain Álvaro Moreno during a press conference.

He explained that the coca growers were interested in helping authorities capture Morales because they didn’t want police snooping around in the area.

The girl, of Moroccan origin, was subjected to hellish living conditions, being given poor food and having to work with her captor in the coca plantations, Moreno said.

Jordi Domènech, an inspector with the Catalan Mossos d’Esquadra police, said that the girl was allowed to travel with the 27-year-old Morales last August but on the condition that he would return her in seven days. When he didn’t show up with the girl, the parents filed a complaint on September 5.

In an interview with Bolivian reporters, Morales said that the girl’s parents allowed him to take her in exchange for gold he was expected to bring back. The two traveled to Madrid from Catalonia by bus and boarded a plane to Bolivia.

But police sources said that Morales had decided to keep her to himself and eventually wanted to marry the girl. They haven’t ruled out sexual abuse.

The Mossos were reluctant to give many details about the case or say whether the girl’s parents are also under investigation.

Even though the man – a Bolivian national – was arrested in his own country, Civil Guard officials said they held little hope that he would be extradited to Spain to face charges.

Morales had been a neighboUr to the girl’s parents and gained their trust, convincing them that he had converted to Islam. He had reportedly been living in Spain under a false identity.

Police said that he had been charged in Bolivia for raping his two sisters but the case fell through when their mother convinced them not to testify against their brother.

The girl was being held in a juvenile center, waiting to be returned to her parents in Spain.

Vocabulary:

hold someone captive/ hostage: tener a alguien en cautiverio, como rehén, secuestrado

rainforest: selva tropical

clear a path: abrir camino

allegedly: presuntamente

sought: past of seek - buscar

shanty community: poblado de chabolas

snoop around: husmear

show up: presentarse, aparecer

file a complaint: presentar una denuncia

in exchange for: a cambio de

rule out: descartar

be reluctant to do sth: ser reacios a

hold little hope: tener pocas esperanzas

face charges: enfrentar a los cargos

be charged for doing sth/ be charged with + noun : ser acusado de…

fall through:  quedar en nada, venirse abajo

Oscar Pistorius murder trial begins, with South Africa transfixed

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The murder trial of Oscar Pistorius begins today as South Africa prepares for what is expected to be a marathon legal battle that throws a spotlight not just on the world-famous double-amputee athlete, but on his homeland's criminal justice system and gun culture.

The trial, which has been compared to that of the OJ Simpson case in the United States 20 years ago, has led to the establishment in South Africa of a unique cable television channel dedicated to it.

The 24-hour channel, called The Oscar Pistorius Trial – A Carte Blanche Channel, launched on Sunday night with footage of the sportsman's girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, who was shot dead by him in the early hours of the morning on February 14 last year at his home. While the Olympian denies murder and says that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder, the prosecution maintains that he intentionally shot her several times after an argument.

State prosecutors are expected to paint an unflattering portrait of Pistorius as reckless, hot-headed and obsessed with guns, and have lined up 107 witnesses for the trial, including Pistorius's ex-girlfriends Melissa Rom and Samantha Taylor, whose mother welcomed the end of their relationship. Erin Stear, who has denied reports she had an affair with Pistorius, will also take the stand, as will the former footballer Mark Batchelor, who has claimed that Pistorius threatened to "break my legs" because he was a close friend of Steenkamp, a law graduate, model and reality TV star.

Police have said they found unlicensed .38-calibre ammunition in Pistorius's house, while his Twitter account revealed he had boasted of going into "full attack recon mode in the pantry" after thinking an intruder was in his home.

The court will hear how, in one incident, Pistorius accidentally discharged a pistol under the table in a Johannesburg restaurant. He also put a bullet through the sunroof of a girlfriend's car in a fit of rage.

Pistorius will also come face to face with Steenkamp's mother, June, who made her feelings clear in a TV interview last year, recalling an incident in which Steenkamp phoned her from Pistorius's car. "She was afraid," June said. "She was so afraid. She said, 'Mummy, I'm in the car with Oscar and he's driving like a lunatic. Like a lunatic.' So I said, 'Will you just give him the phone?' She gave the phone to Oscar straight away. And I said, 'If you hurt my baby, I will have you wiped out.'"

Mobile phone records could be key during the trial, potentially indicating evidence of a fight. Steenkamp is said to have had her phone with her in the toilet when she was shot. Police have been trying to gain access to Pistorius's iPhone, which might contain evidence of a fight in the form of text messages.

Another key piece of evidence, according to experts, may be the blood-spatter analysis of the inside of the toilet cubicle, which could give an indication of Steenkamp's position when she was shot, including whether she was sitting on the toilet, or hiding behind the door, as prosecutors suspect.

Pistorius faces charges of murder, illegal possession of ammunition, and two additional counts relating to shooting a gun in public in two separate incidents before last year's Valentine's Day killing.

Criminal law experts believe that if the prosecution fails to prove premeditated murder, firing several shots through a closed door could bring a conviction for the lesser charge of culpable homicide, a South African equivalent of manslaughter covering unintentional deaths through negligence. Sentences in such cases range from fines to prison. They are left to courts to determine and are not set by fixed guidelines.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/03/oscar-pistorius-trial-begins

More on this story:

Oscar Pistorius bail hearing: Conflicting accounts
Oscar Pistorius accused of premeditated murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp by South Africa prosecutors
Weeping Pistorius faces life in prison in shooting

FAMILY VIOLENCE

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FACTS

STUDENTS' VIDEO FOR THE ORAL PRESENTATION

CORRUPTION CASE AGAINST KING OF SPAIN'S SON-IN-LAW RUMBLES ON

WATCH THE VIDEO AND READ

The King of Spain's son-in-law is being questioned in court on the island of Mallorca in connection with a multi-million euro corruption case.

Iñaki Urdangarín is married to the King's Juan Carlos' second daughter, Princess Cristina. 

The former Olympic handball player, who holds the title Duke of Palma, is accused of diverting millions of euros of public money meant a non-profit organisation he controlled to private offshore accounts.

Saturday's hearing Is about tax fraud in relation to this money. He is also charged with forgery, embezzlement and corruption.

Anti-monarchy protesters gathered outside the court in Mallorca's port city of Palma.

The corruption scandal has angered a public facing unemployment of twenty-six per cent and tough austerity measures.

Urdangarin, who denies any wrongdoing, has tried to make deal with the prosecution to avoid jail time, offering to pay the government at least 3.5 million euros in compensation.

The Duke, the Princess Cristina and their children now live in Washington.

Spain's royal family has been losing popularity. A secret elephant-hunting trip to Botswana by the King last year further tarnished the royal’s reputation.

Euronews 23/02/2013

PRINCESS CRISTINA OF SPAIN TO APPEAR IN COURT

WATCH THE VIDEO AND FILL IN THE GAPS

Spain’s  princess Cristina has been summoned to appear in _________1________ over allegations that her husband _______2_________ millions of euros of public money . She’s _____3_____ to appear on 27th April . Her husband, Iñaki Urdangarín, a ______4_______Olympic handball player, is under investigation for ______5_________ embezzling more than 6 million euros of public money along with his former _____6_______ Diego Torres. The judge in ______7________ of the investigation, said the statements of the two men, along with ________8_________ emails submitted as evidence raised doubt over whether Cristina could have been _______9_______ of her husband’s financial _______10_________ .

VOCABULARY: PRINCESS CRISTINA OF SPAIN TO APPEAR IN COURT

READ THIS VOCABULARY BEFORE READING THE FOLLOWING NEWSPAPER ARTICLES.

A damaging blow- un duro golpe

A formal indictment- una acusación formal

Accomplice- cómplice

Allegations of corruption- acusaciones de corrupción

Allegedly- presuntamente, supuestamente

It is alleged that- supuestamente, se alega que

Amid- entre, en medio de

Be Charged with- acusado de cometer un delito

Blunder- equivocación, metedura de pata

Bribery- soborno

Business dealings- actividades empresariales, negocios

charitable foundation- fundación benéfica

Charges- cargos

Court summons- citación judicial

( he is) credited- se le atribuye

Crippling economic crisis- grave/demoledora crisis económica

Embezzling public funds- malversación de fondos públicos

Former- anterior

Funnel (money) - destinar, canalizar

Has been barred from royal family events- quedar excluido de los eventos de la familia real

Has sought to distance… from… - ha intentado distanciar a… de…

Head- dirigir

His standing has been hit- su posición / prestigio se ha visto afectado

Keep a low profile- pasar desapercibido, tener una actitud discreta

Leak- filtrar

Misuse- malversar, usar indebidamente

Money laundering- blanqueo de dinero

Non-profit- sin ánimo de lucro

Offshore bank accounts- cuentas bancarias en el extranjero

Out of touch- muy alejado, sin contacto

Overcharge- sobrecargar

Partner- socio

Put sb on trial- procesar

Recent polls- encuestas recientes

Social welfare programmes- programas de bienestar social

Stage events- organizar actos

Steering- dirección

Stepped down as head of… - dejó el / renunció al cargo de jefe

Stirred public ire- levantar/provocar la cólera

Summon to appear in court- citado a comparecer en un juicio

Summons- citación, orden de comparecencia

Suspended from… suspendido, inhabilitado,  separado

Syphone (money) – desviar

Tax evasion- evasión de impuestos

Tax fraud- fraude fiscal

Testify- testificar

The cases of corruption have piled up- los casos de corrupción se han ido acumulando

The Royal household- La Casa Real

The standard of living has plunged- el nivel de vida ha caído, se ha hundido/desplomado

Urge- instar, apremiar

(His popularity) is waning- va decayendo, va en descenso

Wrongdoing- irregularidad, infracción

SPANISH KING'S DAUGHTER CHARGED IN CORRUPTION INQUIRY

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Spanish king's daughter charged in corruption inquiry 
(Reuters) - Spain's Princess Cristina, daughter of King Juan Carlos, was charged on Wednesday in a corruption inquiry against her husband, the latest in a spate of high-level graft cases that have angered Spaniards suffering in a severe recession. 

The princess, 47, was ordered to appear before a judge on April 27, charged in a pre-trial investigation amounting to an extraordinary legal move against a member of the royal family.

Judge Jose Castro said there was evidence the princess was an accomplice to her husband, Iñaki Urdangarín, who has been accused of tax fraud and embezzling 6 million euros in public funds when he headed a charitable foundation.

"The law is the same for everyone," the judge said in a court document explaining his decision, echoing the king's own words in his 2011 Christmas address to the nation.

Corruption experts said Castro was building up to issuing a formal indictment against both Urdangarin and Cristina that could lead to putting them both on trial.

Disenchantment with the rich and powerful has grown in Spain as unemployment has soared to 26 percent, one of the worst rates in Europe, and a cases of corruption and nepotism in the ruling classes have piled up.

Manuel Villoria, an expert in corruption and professor of political science at King Juan Carlos University, called the charges "devastating" for the royal family.

"He is saying he considers (Cristina) an accomplice, that he (Urdangarin) could not have done it without her. She had knowledge and didn't put a stop to it," Villoria said.

The decision will probably deepen public disenchantment with the royal family and fuel debate on whether the once-popular king should abdicate in favour of his son, Crown Prince Felipe.

Castro had been looking into emails which were sent by Urdangarin to his wife asking for her advice on business matters at his charitable Noos Foundation.

A former Olympics handball player, Urdangarin is accused of using his powerful connections to win public contracts to stage events on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca and elsewhere in Spain. Urdangarin has denied any wrongdoing.

Castro said he had charged Princess Cristina because he wanted her to testify in person, and under Spanish law she could have avoided doing so had he charged her as a witness.

The Royal Palace declined to comment.

King Juan Carlos, 75, and his wife, Queen Sofia, have tried to distance themselves from the scandal. Urdangarin has been barred from royal family events, and photographs of him have been taken off the official website.

"I think this is a good thing. If she did something wrong, it's logical that justice be done," said Diana Presa, a student in Madrid.

In an unrelated case that has also stirred public ire, judges have brought charges against three former treasurers of the governing People's Party for crimes ranging from bribery to money laundering to tax evasion.

Public irritation with the king has risen as his luxury lifestyle, rumors of adultery and allegations of corruption in the royal family have taken prominence in once respectful local media while ordinary Spaniards face a crippling economic crisis.

Juan Carlos was once revered for his role in shepherding a transition to democracy in the 1970s after dictator Francisco Franco died. But his image has deteriorated.

Last year he broke his hip while hunting elephants on safari in Africa, and the news enraged many Spaniards whose standard of living has plunged during the recession.

In December a survey found 79 percent of Spaniards felt that Prince Felipe was ready to be head of state, while the king's personal approval rating had fallen to 58 percent, down from 74 percent before his safari.

The latest CIS poll showed Spaniards naming corruption as the nation's second biggest problem after unemployment.

SPANISH PRINCESS TO FACE COURT IN CORRUPTION INQUIRY

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Spanish princess to face court in corruption inquiry

Spain's Princess Cristina has been summoned to appear in court over allegations that her husband misused millions of euros of public money. 

It is reported to be the first court summons for a direct descendant of the Spanish king. She is King Juan Carlos's youngest daughter. 

Her husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, denies wrongdoing and has not been charged. 

He is suspected of having massively overcharged local authorities for organising sporting events. 

It is alleged that some of the money ended up in companies controlled by Iñaki Urdangarin - who is the Duke of Palma and a former Olympic handball player - in offshore bank accounts. 

The events allegedly happened between 2004 and 2006, when the duke stepped down as head of the non-profit Noos Institute. 

He and his former business partner Diego Torres are suspected of misusing millions of euros in public funds that were given to the institute - a charitable foundation. 

Mr Torres, who was questioned by a judge in February, has also denied any wrongdoing. 

The duke has sought to distance King Juan Carlos from the scandal, pointing out in February that the royal house "had no opinion, did not advise and did not authorise" any of his activities at the institute. 

"When the accusations arose, the palace recommended I stop any activity not considered appropriate to my institutional status, which I did," the duke is reported to have said. 

'Out of touch' 

Princess Cristina has been asked to appear in court in Palma de Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands, on 27 April. 

Emails have come to light suggesting that the princess knew about her husband's financial affairs, the Spanish El País newspaper reported. 

Anti-corruption campaigners have urged the judge to formally name Princess Cristina as a suspect, alleging that she may also have been involved. 

Emails published by Spanish newspapers in February also appear to show that King Juan Carlos took a close interest in his son-in-law's business affairs. 

Support for the royal family has diminished in recent years, amid criticism that it is out of touch with ordinary Spaniards as they struggle with a severe economic crisis. 

The king, 75, is credited with steering Spain to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975 - but his reputation has been damaged by the corruption inquiry implicating his son-in-law and by a luxury elephant-hunting safari he took in Africa last year at a time of record unemployment in his country. 

Correspondents say that the summons issued to the princess by Judge Jose Castro will be seen as another extremely damaging blow to the royal family. 

The duke was suspended from official royal engagements in December. 

His wife - who works as the director of social welfare programmes for a Barcelona-based financial services group - has kept a low profile since reports of the alleged scandal emerged two years ago. 

She has mostly confined herself to the mansion in which she lives in the city with her husband and four children. 

"The royal household does not comment in any way on judicial decisions," a spokesman for the royal family told the AFP news agency.

PRINCESS CRISTINA OF SPAIN TO APPEAR IN COURT

Princess Cristina Of Spain To Appear In Court
Spain's Princess Cristina has been ordered to appear in court in a corruption case involving her husband the Duke of Palma.
A court has named Spain's Princess Cristina as a suspect in a corruption case involving her husband, the Duke of Palma.

The court in Palma, on the island of Mallorca, said that the 47-year-old daughter of King Juan Carlos, is to be called for questioning on April 27.

The case centres on claims that her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, and his former business partner, Diego Torres, funnelled around 5 million euros (£4.25m) of public funds to companies they controlled.

They are accused of syphoning off money paid by regional governments to stage sports and tourism events to the non-profit Noos Institute, which the Duke was chairman of from 2004 to 2006.

The Duke, who has not been charged with any crime and maintains his innocence, attempted to distance his wife and the rest of the royals from his business dealings when he was questioned in court in February.

But his former business partner then provided the judge with emails that were leaked appearing to show that the Duke regularly consulted his wife, a member of the board of the Noos Institute, about the organisation's affairs.

Princess Cristina, the youngest daughter of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, is seventh in line to the throne.

The princess, who was a member of the Spanish Olympic sailing team at the Seoul games in 1988, married her husband, a former handball player, in 1997 and together the couple have four children.

The couple moved to Washington in 2009 when the Duke took up the role as executive director of the US subsidiary of Spanish telecommunications firm Telefonica.

They were living there when the corruption allegations emerged but returned to Barcelona in August last year.

The summons by Judge Jose Castro will be seen as extremely damaging to the royal family, whose popularity is waning, according to recent polls.

The 75-year-old king is credited with steering Spain to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975 but his standing has been hit by the corruption case and over a luxury elephant-hunting safari he took in Africa last year at a time of record unemployment in Spain.

An opinion poll published last month showed almost 57% of Spaniards felt the king should abdicate in favour of his 45-year-old son Prince Felipe.

He is currently recovering from surgery to his lower spine - his seventh operation in three years.

A spokesman for the palace said: "The royal household does not comment in any way on judicial decisions."