Duke & Duchess of Palma use ‘low cost’ airline over holidays
Thursday, January 8th, 2015
Everything changed for the king’s sister and her husband since the Nóos case began.
During the winter holidays, the Duke and Duchess decided to celebrate Christmas Eve with the family of Iñaki, later flying back with a low-cost carrier from Bilbao to Barcelona as published on Saturday by El Mundo.
Besides taking a low-cost flight, they were also transported to the inside of the airport in a van. Life is not what it was for the Duke and Duchess of Palma.
The couple decided to use the services of Vueling to fly to the Catalonian Capital, where their attorneys work tirelessly to find a loophole in the process taken by judge Castro.
The case against the Duke and Duchess looks set to take the father of the family to prison, any reduction of a sentence would be welcomed with joy at the home of the Duke and Duchess.
This week judge Castro lowered the bail for the Duke and on Friday the ‘Infanta’ (Princess Cristina) defense appealed the prosecution that would obligate her to sit directly in the dock at court.
Everything seems to have changed at the home of the Duke and Duchess of Palma, luxury has been put on hold and the waiting gets longer and longer before facing the court case against them. If using a low cost carrier isn’t a ploy to win public sympathy, it’s undoubtedly ended up reducing their high standard of living.
Why is Spain’s Princess facing court?
The culmination of four years of investigations that plunged the royal family into crisis and contributed to the abdication of King Juan Carlos in June is drawing to a close.
On two counts of being an accessory to tax fraud in connection with her husband’s business affairs, a court on the island of Majorca ordered Cristina, 49, to stand trial.
Her Husband Inaki Urdangarin, is accused of embezzling and laundering millions of euros in public funds. Princess Cristina is accused of taking part in the tax evasion of her husband.
Cristina sat on the board of Noos, a charitable foundation, and Urdangarin was its chairman. Urdangarin is accused along with a former business partner of leaching off six million euros ($8 million) in public funds from contracts awarded to Noos.
When questioned in court by Judge Castro in February, Cristina said she had no knowledge of her husband’s business affairs and had simply trusted him.
The King’s sister could now face up to eight years in prison if found guilty, while Iñaki Urdangarín faces a sentence of up to nineteen and a half years. The accused now have 30 days in which to present their defense, and in theory no further appeals are permitted.
Reacting to the decision, the Royal Household issued a statement expressing full support for the independent decisions of the Judge, and offered no further comment on the possibility that Cristina may formally renounce her right of succession to the throne. She is currently sixth in line behind her sister and her four nieces and nephews.
