(Politics) Swiss prosecutor files case of Saudi donation to King Juan Carlos

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The Swiss prosecutor Yves Bertossa has closed his investigation into the 100 million dollars (65 million euros) paid by Saudi Arabia to King Juan Carlos I, according to the local newspaper Tribune de Genève and has been able to confirm La Vanguardia from legal sources. The instructor made his decision known to the parties during a hearing held on Monday, according to the Swiss media from sources close to the investigation.

In this case, four people were investigated for money laundering for having managed or participated in the transfer of funds from the king emeritus. They are the king's wealth manager in Geneva, his lawyer in Geneva, the sovereign's former mistress, and the Mirabaud bank. All have been exonerated.
The investigation will end, according to the same newspaper, with a single sanction, a fine imposed on the Mirabaud bank for not having communicated to the Office against money laundering, an old transaction linked to Corinna Larsen. There will be no type of action for Juan Carlos or, apparently, for his Geneva lawyers and managers.
The prosecutor Yves Bertossa has made this decision after three years of investigation. Although Juan Carlos I was not investigated at any time, the donation that he made to his lover, Corinna Larsen, of 65 million euros, the result of a previous gift from the King of Saudi Arabia, was being analyzed.

Statement from the Swiss Prosecutor's Office
In a statement, the Swiss Prosecutor's Office has explained that it closes the investigation for the five defendants for money laundering, although it dictates a resolution against Mirabaud for violation of the obligation to communicate.

In the note, the public ministry argues that the investigation opened as a result of Villarejo's recordings established that Juan Carlos I had received in 2008 on account of the Lucum foundation opened with Mirabaud in Geneva, 100 million dollars, from the Ministry of Saudi Arabia Treasury.

The proceedings also reveal other payments received by the foundation and by Corinna Laresen, such as $ 1.8 million in cash, another five million from Kuwait and two million from Bahrain. "All these transfers were not sufficiently documented by the accused," the note states.

The investigation reveals that in June 2012 the Lucum Foundation account was closed and its balance, approximately € 65 million, was transferred to the account in the Bahamas of a domiciliary company owned by Corinna Larsen.

Lack of evidence to continue with the open case
"At the end of the investigation, the Public Ministry argued that the use of a foundation, as well as domiciliary companies by the different protagonists, demonstrated a desire to cover up," he adds.

The amounts affected, the origin of the goods, the lack of adequate documentation to justify the transfers, the alleged successive donations (first from the King of Saudi Arabia in favor of Juan Carlos I and then from the latter in favor of Larsen) as well as the chronology of the events "constituted clues charged to the accused."

Despite these indications, the Prosecutor's Office acknowledges that the investigation has not been able to establish a sufficient link between the amount received from Saudi Arabia and the conclusion of the contracts for the construction of the high-speed train. For this reason, it has finally decided to file the case partially.

Finally, the only person responsible has been Mirabaud for not communicating such movements to the Money Laundering Communication Office (MROS) and for which she has been sentenced to pay a fine. “Many elements demanded that the bank proceed to a communication, in particular the information transmitted by the press, the unusual nature of the funds received in this account and the different financial flows exchanged between the accounts of the aforementioned and the Lucum foundation, of which Juan Carlos I was the effective beneficiary ”, he points out.

Mirabaud assumes the sanction
After hearing the resolution, the entity has issued a statement in which it shows its satisfaction with the filing of the case for an alleged crime of money laundering. "After three years of exhaustive investigation, this decision fully confirms the position defended by the institution since the beginning of the investigation, and represents an end to the baseless accusations made against our entity," the president of its board of directors, Yves Mirabaud, of any responsibility for an alleged breach of the duty to inform the MROS (Swiss Authority for the prevention of money laundering).

“Although the bank does not share the official decision, Mirabaud assumes the administrative sanction imposed, which he must satisfy in relation to the alleged breach of the duty of information to the MROS. The alleged breach of the obligation to inform has no relation whatsoever to the account linked to the Emeritus King of Spain ”, he adds.

My innocence was evident from the beginning and this episode has served to damage my image "
Corinna larsen
After learning of the decision, Corinna Larsen issued a statement in which she stated that: “today I have finally been exonerated of all responsibility in the investigation carried out by the Swiss prosecutor for three years. My innocence was evident from the beginning and this episode has served to further damage my image in the framework of the continuous smear campaign against me by certain Spanish interests. Meanwhile, the offenders have not been investigated and have been given time to conceal their activities. They remain unpunished. "

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