World-famous Julio Iglesias accused of sexual assault
The Spanish singer Julio Iglesias has been accused of sexual assault by two female former employees, The Guardian writes.
The women – a domestic worker and a physical therapist who were employed at Iglesias’s Caribbean mansions in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas – allege the assaults took place in 2021.
The alleged assaults came to light at the end of a three-year joint investigation by the Spanish news site elDiario.es and the Spanish-language TV network Univision Noticias, which collected testimonies from 15 former employees who worked for the 82-year-old singer between the late 1990s and 2023.
“The two women who reported sexual assault were interviewed repeatedly over more than a year and their accounts remained consistent throughout. Their statements are supported by extensive documentary evidence, such as photographs, call logs, WhatsApp messages, visas, medical reports and other documents,” elDiario.es writes.
One of the women, referred to as Rebecca to protect her identity, said that Iglesias, who was 77 at the time, would often call her to his room at the end of the working day.
“He used me almost every night,” she told elDiario.es and Univision Noticias. “I felt like an object, like a slave.”
Accounts from former employees about the recruitment system reveal a process that began with social media advertisements aimed at young women. Applicants were asked to provide pictures of their faces and full bodies.
ElDiario.es reported later on Tuesday that the two women had filed a formal complaint with prosecutors at Spain’s highest criminal court, the Audiencia Nacional, accusing Iglesias of human trafficking and sexual assault.
However, another employee of the singer says the claims are “nonsense.” The president of the Madrid region, conservative Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has also expressed her support for the Spanish singer.
Journalists from elDiario.es and Univision made repeated efforts to contact Iglesias and his lawyer through various channels but received no response to the questions sent by email, phone and letter.
