Two ladies had claimed they suffered inappropriate behaviour whereas working at singer’s properties
Julio Iglesias. Picture: file
MADRID, SPAIN:
Spain’s veteran singer and cultural icon Julio Iglesias on Friday rejected allegations of sexual abuse lodged in opposition to him by two ladies ex-employees, in a case that has dominated headlines.
“I deny having abused, coerced, or disrespected any lady. These accusations are completely false and deeply sadden me,” the 82-year-old wrote on his Instagram account.
Iglesias, one of the profitable Latin artists of all time, is a Grammy winner with greater than 300 million information offered in a profession spanning a long time.
Two ladies — a home employee and a physiotherapist — allege they suffered sexual and different types of abuse whereas working at Iglesias’s properties within the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas in 2021.
Advocacy teams Ladies’s Hyperlink Worldwide and Amnesty Worldwide stated a criticism filed with Spanish prosecutors on January 5 outlined alleged acts that may very well be thought-about “a criminal offense of human trafficking for the aim of compelled labour” and “crimes in opposition to sexual freedom”.
Iglesias subjected them to “sexual harassment, usually checked their cell phones, restricted their potential to go away the house the place they labored, and required them to work as much as 16 hours a day with out days off”, in response to testimony collected by the 2 teams.
In his Instagram message, Iglesias wrote: “It’s with profound unhappiness that I reply to the accusations made by two individuals who beforehand labored for me.”
“I’ve by no means felt such malice, however I nonetheless have the power to let folks know the entire fact and to defend my dignity in opposition to such a critical accusation,” he stated, thanking the “so many expensive folks” who’ve despatched him messages of assist.
Robust reactions
The allegations in opposition to the beloved crooner have sparked sturdy reactions in Spain after being aired on Tuesday in a joint investigation by Spanish newspaper elDiario.es and US tv community Univision.
Members of the leftist authorities have backed the complainants and demanded an investigation to determine the reality.
The top of the conservative opposition Common Occasion, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, who’s mates with Iglesias, advised Telecinco tv on Wednesday he was “very, very, very shocked” however urged in opposition to “speculating”.
Iglesias has publicly embraced a “Latin lover” picture, particularly in older interviews the place he brazenly mentioned his sexual urge for food and romantic exploits.
Iglesias’s former supervisor Fernan Martinez advised Telecinco that he was “very affectionate” and loved “bodily contact” however burdened he by no means noticed the music icon “behave aggressively”.
Ladies’s Hyperlink Worldwide has stated the complainants will testify at an unspecified date earlier than Spanish prosecutors, who’ve as much as a yr to carry out a preliminary investigation.
The criticism was submitted in Spain and never the Caribbean international locations the place the crimes allegedly befell due to Spanish laws on gender-based violence and trafficking, the organisation added.
Advocates say the wave of claims in opposition to high-profile leisure and music figures lately, pushed by the #MeToo motion that rose to prominence in 2017, has uncovered systemic abuse.
In 1983, Iglesias was credited as having recorded songs in essentially the most languages on the earth, and in 2013 for being the best-selling male Latin artist of all-time. In April 2013 in Beijing, he was honoured as the preferred worldwide artist in China. In Brazil, France, Italy and elsewhere, Iglesias is essentially the most profitable international document vendor, whereas in his residence nation, Spain, he has offered essentially the most information in historical past, with 23 million information.
Throughout his profession, Iglesias has gained many awards within the music trade, together with the Grammy, Latin Grammy, World Music Award, Billboard Music Award, American Music Award and Lo Nuestro Award. He has been awarded the Gold Medal for Advantage within the Fantastic Arts of Spain and the Legion of Honour of France. UNICEF named him Particular Ambassador for the Performing Arts in 1989. He has had a star on the Hollywood Stroll of Fame since 1985.
