The complaint against Julio Iglesias is for human trafficking, harassment and sexual assault, and labor abuse.

BarcelonaThe three alleged crimes of which singer Julio Iglesias is accused before the National Court Prosecutor's Office are: human trafficking for the purpose of forced labor and servitude; harassment and sexual assault with aggravating circumstances of injury; and a crime against workers' rights. Lawyers from the international human rights organization Women's Link, which represents the complainants in the Julio Iglesias case, detailed this Wednesday in a virtual press conference the legal grounds on which they brought the case to the attention of the National Court Prosecutor's Office in Madrid on January 5. The Prosecutor's Office has opened preliminary proceedings to determine whether to bring the case to court, should it find evidence of a crime and have jurisdiction to do so. The women's lawyers have opted for the Prosecutor's Office to take advantage of the investigative capacity and authority of the public prosecutor, who would be responsible for defining the crimes; but if this does not yield results, the complainants could choose to file a private prosecution.

For the time being, the Prosecutor's Office has decided to take statements as protected witnesses from the two women who explained their case in the investigation they have uncovered Eldiario.es and Univision NewsIn their testimonies, they recounted situations of abuse of power, intimidation, abuse, and repeated sexual assault and unregulated labor, which occurred between January and October 2021, while they were live-in domestic workers at the musician's mansions in the Caribbean. Women's Link confirms that other women who had worked for Iglesias have come forward to the organization, but they declined to provide any details. Also, given that the musician's "economic capacity and influence" are diametrically opposed to those of the accused, if the case progresses, they have requested protection of the privacy of the complainants and their families, that contact with the suspects be avoided, and that their circumstances be taken into account (for example, that the victims do not live in the same place as the accused and should be kept separate). For now, there is no scheduled date for the women to testify. Nor has it been indicated whether Iglesias would be obligated to testify in Spain, given his advanced age (82 years), because the case is still in the pre-trial phase.

"The principle of extraterritoriality"

The legal basis for pursuing the case through the Spanish courts is the "principle of extraterritoriality," which allows for the prosecution of crimes committed outside national territory if the judicial systems of the respective countries fail to act, according to lawyer Gema Fernández, who is representing both women in Spain. Under the law, this principle would apply directly if the victim were a Spanish national. The lawyer believes there is a European legal framework, such as the Warsaw Convention (of the Council of Europe) against trafficking in persons and the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, that protects the alleged victims because the crime was allegedly committed by a man with Spanish nationality.

The lawyer has confirmed that the alleged victims have only resorted to the Spanish justice system and not to that of the Dominican Republic, Panama, the Bahamas, or other countries where the musician has residences, so that "the legislation regarding attention to sexual violence, gender-based violence, and human trafficking, which in this case is the one that applies to women," prevents other avenues of justice and redress, either here or in other countries. Women's Link admitted that the Julio Iglesias case has some similarities to the Jeffrey Epstein case, but "there is no evidence that he facilitated the sexual exploitation of the complainants by other powerful men."

Gema Fernández pointed out that allegedly "the labor exploitation and sexual violence" against the complainants occurred in "a context of intimidation due to the presence of three people in positions of higher power, which increased the psychological pressure and the feeling that it was impossible to oppose or resist." The journalistic account detailed how the housekeepers of the houses carried out the staff selection, medical tests to enter the service (including gynecological and sexually transmitted disease tests, such as HIV, to which employers had access), normalized the abuses and, in some cases, participated in the sexual assaults. The lawyer states that the recruitment, transportation, and housing of people for labor exploitation, under a climate of intimidation, through deception, without them knowing the working conditions (they had no contract, no set hours, no right to privacy, and their communications were monitored), and taking advantage of their vulnerability.

The victims also wanted to send a message explaining their reasons for speaking out. Rebeca explains: "I'm doing this for three reasons of justice. For myself, because it has been very difficult and because of everything I've faced. For the women who work in their homes, so that they are strong and remember that they are not invincible. And for my country, the Dominican Republic, because no one can come here and do whatever they want without taking responsibility." The other alleged victim, Laura, sent this message through Women's Link: "My goal is that no woman ever suffers this type of abuse again. Women are victims and survivors, not perpetrators or guilty parties."