The Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating the complaint against Julio Iglesias for sexual assault against former domestic workers.

Barcelona / MadridTwo women who worked for Julio Iglesias (Madrid, 1943) at his Caribbean mansions accuse the singer of sexually assaulting them, according to an investigation published Tuesday by Eldiario.es and Univision News. The events allegedly took place in 2021, and the victims, one a live-in domestic worker and the other a physiotherapist, claim they were pressured into having sex with Iglesias, slapped, groped, insulted, and subjected to physical and verbal abuse, as well as a hostile work environment. Neither Julio Iglesias nor his entourage have made any statements. As confirmed to ARA by the National Court Prosecutor's Office, a complaint was filed against the singer on January 5th, and the preliminary criminal investigation proceedings have begun. The prosecutor's investigations are confidential to protect the alleged victims.

One of the women explains that, with the presence and participation of a higher-ranking domestic worker, Iglesias would take her to his room almost every day and penetrate her anally and vaginally with his fingers or force her to perform oral sex on him. The other woman explains that the musician would kiss her and touch her breasts whenever he wanted, in everyday situations. The events took place at Iglesias's homes in Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and Lyford Cay (Bahamas), with the knowledge and complicity of the people in charge of managing the mansion and the staff. The youngest was 22 years old and the musician was 77.

The alleged victims went to an international human rights organization to report their experiences and received legal advice before going to the media. Eldiario.es They maintain that this is an investigation that has lasted three years, for which they have contacted about fifteen women who worked for the musician and other employees. The victims were working-class women who were live-in and rarely left the mansions. They were young (25-35 years old), were not allowed to be friends, and could not have a partner while working for Iglesias. To get the job, they had to submit five photographs. The selection was made by the head of staff. They were required to undergo medical examinations, including gynecological visits and tests for sexually transmitted diseases.

They also explain that the singer had an irascible temper, which made them live in a state of tension, under a very hierarchical and isolated work structure. There was "the staff" and "the ladies," who could be physiotherapists or the managers, who had a different status. The musician controlled the staff members' cell phones, what they ate, and when they had their periods, and he subjugated them "through fear." When they refused his sexual demands, he humiliated and emotionally blackmailed them. According to the newspaper, Iglesias employs many women, up to sixteen, who work the required hours each day without regular vacations. Those chosen accompany him on trips and stays, for example in Spain, but they are not allowed to leave the house normally. They were required to swim in the sea with him in bikinis and to massage him, and one witness described almost daily sexual submission. In some cases, the woman who managed the house also participated in the encounters, and on other occasions, she justified it by telling the worker that it served to alleviate the musician's pain. The women lament that their economic and social vulnerability was exploited to perpetrate these sexual, labor, and psychological abuses.

An appendix to his biography

Political reactions to the Julio Iglesias case were swift. Even the Spanish government weighed in: "It's a journalistic piece that I deeply respect," said spokesperson Elma Saiz, who assured that the government is working to ensure "there is no room for impunity." "I reaffirm the government's firm commitment to combating any violence, harassment, or aggression against women." She added, "We will not look the other way; we must be decisive against this scourge." She did not clarify whether Iglesias would be stripped of his Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts. The Más Madrid party has called for the city's mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, to revoke his title of favorite son and for the president of the regional government, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, to do the same with a regional medal. Ayuso, in fact, came to his defense: "The Community of Madrid will never contribute to the discrediting of artists, least of all the most internationally renowned singer of all," stated the leader of the Madrid PP. "The women who are raped and attacked are in Iran, with the complicit silence of the far left," he said.

Among the many reactions to the news, there is a statement from Libros del Asteroide and the writer Ignacio Peyró, author of the biography The Spaniard who charmed the worldIn that book, published in February 2025, the writer spoke of the condition of "Latin loverThe book, which chronicles the musician's life, details what was happening around the singer, who, moreover, had always flaunted his virility in his songs and public statements. It speaks, for example, of the "customs of Indian Creek, where sex, according to the recollections of the household staff, 'was present and readily available to everyone,' like 'belu caviar.'" It states: "His mansion was 'full of joy and beauty,' that is, of young girls." This Tuesday, the author and publisher expressed their "deep dismay" and explained that the book was written "using publicly available information" prior to the updated news published today.