Caption: Spanish singer Julio
MADRID – Two women ex-employees of veteran singer Julio Iglesias will testify before prosecutors accusing the Spanish cultural icon of human trafficking and sexual crimes, advocacy groups supporting them said on Wednesday.
The women — a domestic worker and a physiotherapist — allege they suffered sexual and other forms of abuse while working at Iglesias’s properties in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas in 2021, according to Women’s Link Worldwide and Amnesty International.
The organisations said a complaint filed with Spanish prosecutors on January 5 outlined alleged acts that could be considered “a crime of human trafficking for the purpose of forced labour” and “crimes against sexual freedom.”
Iglesias subjected them to “sexual harassment, regularly checked their mobile phones, restricted their ability to leave the home where they worked, and required them to work up to 16 hours a day without days off”, according to testimony collected by the two groups.
One of the women, a Dominican identified as Rebeca who was 22 at the time of the alleged incidents, said she spoke out to seek justice and set an example for other employees of the singer.
“I want to tell them to be strong, to raise their voices, to remember he is not invincible,” she said, according to a statement by Women’s Link.
Judicial sources confirmed to AFP that a complaint was filed against Iglesias, without giving further details.
The allegations were first detailed in an investigation published Tuesday by US television network Univision and Spanish newspaper elDiario.es.
Iglesias, 82, has not publicly responded to the accusations.
Jovana Rios Cisnero, executive director of Women’s Link, told a press conference on Wednesday that the complainants would testify before public prosecutors at an unspecified date, saying it was “a very important step in the search for justice”.
The organisation’s legal director for Europe, Gema Fernandez, said the complaint was submitted in Spain and not the Caribbean countries where the crimes allegedly took place because Spanish legislation on gender-based violence and trafficking “may be an interesting option to provide access to justice for these women”.
The public prosecutor’s office has six months to perform the preliminary investigation, potentially extendable by another six months, to decide whether to close the case or continue, Fernandez added.
‘Stop speculating’
The allegations have sparked strong reactions in Spain, where the Grammy-winning singer has long been a respected figure.
Equality Minister Ana Redondo has called for “a full investigation”, while Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz called the allegations “chilling testimonies”.
The head of the conservative opposition Popular Party, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, who is friends with Iglesias, said he was “very, very, very surprised” by the accusations.
“We need to know exactly what happened, if anything. We must stop speculating,” he added Wednesday during an interview with Spanish television station Telecinco.
Iglesias is one of the most successful Latin artists of all time, with more than 300 million records sold.
Best known for his romantic ballads, he enjoyed huge success during the 1970s and 1980s and has recorded with US artists including Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and Willie Nelson.
Iglesias has publicly embraced a “Latin lover” image, especially in older interviews where he openly discussed his sexual appetite and romantic exploits.
His former manager Fernan Martinez told Telecinco on Wednesday that Iglesias was “very affectionate” and enjoyed “physical contact”, but stressed he never saw the music icon “behave aggressively”.
High-profile figures across entertainment and music including US actor Bill Cosby and French film icon Gerard Depardieu have faced allegations of sexual misconduct in recent years.
Some cases have led to convictions or settlements, while others remain under investigation.
Advocates say the wave of claims, driven by the #MeToo movement that rose to prominence in 2017 in response to allegations against US film producer Harvey Weinstein, has exposed systemic abuse. (AFP)
