Missing after corruption charges, Spains king Juan Carlos surfaces in UAE

The former king of Spain, Juan Carlos, who went into exile this month after facing corruption allegations is in the United Arab Emirates, the royal palace confirmed. The 82-year-old, who has long had warm relations with the Gulf monarchies, “travelled to the United Arab Emirates on August 3 and he remains there,” a spokesman said without giving further details, AFP reported.

There were speculations that the king is in the Dominican Republic after he announced the plans to leave the country on  August 3. In a letter addressed to his son King Felipe VI, the king wrote, “I am informing you of my considered decision to move, during this period, out of Spain due to the public repercussions of certain episodes of my past private life.”

However, the royal palace had refused to comment on the issue.

Carlos is facing a Swiss investigation on the illegal financial deals with Saudi Arabia’s late King Abdullah. The allegations surfaced when his former companion, German businesswoman Corinna Larsen, raised legal questions about his financial affairs.

In conversations that were leaked to the media, Larsen claimed Juan Carlos had collected a payoff relating to a 2011 high-speed rail contract in Saudi Arabia that was awarded to a consortium of Spanish firms. The 450-kilometer (280-mile) link between Mecca and Medina was inaugurated in 2018.