Summary
Two women who once worked for Spanish singer Julio Iglesias have filed a fresh legal complaint against him in Spain. The women accuse the 82-year-old star of sexual abuse and forced labour dating back to 2021. The advocacy group representing them says Spanish courts do have the authority to investigate the case, despite an earlier setback.
Background
This is not the first time Julio Iglesias has faced these claims. A first complaint was lodged with Spanish prosecutors in January this year. It accused the singer of subjecting the two women to sexual harassment, human trafficking, and forced labour at his private properties abroad.
Spanish prosecutors shelved that original case just weeks later. Their reasoning was simple: Spain, they said, had no jurisdiction over events that allegedly took place outside the country. The women worked at Iglesias’s residences in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, not on Spanish soil.
That dismissal did not close the matter, though. Prosecutors themselves noted at the time that the women were free to pursue the case through other legal channels. The new complaint filed this week is a direct response to that door being left open.
Details
The two former employees, identified only by the pseudonyms Rebeca and Laura to protect their privacy, worked at Iglesias’s homes between January and October 2021. One of them was employed as a domestic worker, and the other as a physiotherapist.
According to the women’s account, Iglesias sexually assaulted and harassed them, monitored their phones, restricted their movement, and forced them to work as many as 16 hours a day without contracts or days off. The new complaint was filed on September 3 with the Preliminary Investigation Section of Spain’s Central Court of First Instance.
Women’s Link Worldwide, the rights organisation supporting the women, says the case now rests on a different legal argument. The group points to Spanish law that allows courts to prosecute crimes committed abroad by Spanish nationals, provided the same conduct is also a crime in the country where it occurred.
The group’s statement on the matter kept the argument simple: “If a Spanish person commits an offence outside Spain, Spain can try it, as long as that same act is also considered an offence in the country where it happened.” It remains unclear whether this legal reasoning will succeed, given that the same law existed when the original complaint was filed and dismissed.
Quotes
Jovana Rios Cisneros, executive director of Women’s Link Worldwide, has argued that access to justice should not depend on who the accused person happens to be. Her organisation maintains that the Spanish state has an obligation to hear the case regardless of Iglesias’s fame or status.
Iglesias himself has consistently rejected the accusations since they first became public in January. Responding to the original complaint, the singer wrote on social media: “I deny having abused, coerced, or disrespected any woman.” He described the claims as absolutely false and said they had caused him deep personal sorrow.
The singer has not yet issued a fresh statement addressing this latest filing. His representatives have not responded publicly to media requests since news of the new complaint broke.
Impact
The case has drawn attention well beyond Spain, given Iglesias’s stature as one of the best-selling Latin music artists in history. He has sold more than 300 million records over a career spanning six decades and is the father of pop singer Enrique Iglesias.
The renewed legal fight also raises broader questions about how European courts handle allegations against public figures involving conduct that occurred overseas. Legal observers say the outcome could set a precedent for how Spain applies extraterritorial jurisdiction in cases involving its citizens’ household staff abroad.
For labour rights advocates, the case has become a reference point in conversations about protections for domestic workers employed by wealthy or influential individuals outside their home country. Women’s Link Worldwide has said that other former employees of Iglesias have come forward separately with similar accounts.
Conclusion
Whether Spain’s courts choose to accept jurisdiction this time remains uncertain. The Central Court of First Instance has not indicated when it will rule on whether to proceed with an investigation.
What happens next will depend largely on how the court interprets the extraterritorial law cited by Women’s Link Worldwide. Iglesias, for his part, appears set to continue denying the allegations as the legal process unfolds. Both sides are expected to make further statements as the case develops in the coming weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Julio Iglesias’ most famous song?
Julio Iglesias has recorded hundreds of songs across a career spanning more than five decades, but two tracks are usually cited as his signature hits. “Begin the Beguine,” released in 1981, became the best-selling single in the United Kingdom that year and topped the UK charts over the Christmas period. In the United States, he is best remembered for “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before,” a 1984 duet with country legend Willie Nelson that became one of his biggest crossover successes. Both songs helped cement his reputation as one of the most commercially successful Latin artists in music history.
How many times did Julio Iglesias marry?
Julio Iglesias has been married twice. His first marriage was to Filipino-Spanish socialite Isabel Preysler, and the couple were together from 1971 until their divorce in 1979. They had three children together, including singer Enrique Iglesias. Iglesias later met Dutch model Miranda Rijnsburger in 1990, and the couple had five children before marrying in a private ceremony in Marbella, Spain, in 2010. Rijnsburger remains his wife today.
What is Julio Iglesias doing now?
At 82 years old, Julio Iglesias has largely stepped back from touring and public performances in recent years, though he has repeatedly denied rumours of a full retirement. He spends much of his time at his properties in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and Miami, where he lives with his wife, Miranda Rijnsburger, and their children. Aside from occasional public statements, including his responses to the sexual abuse allegations, Iglesias has kept a relatively low public profile compared to the peak of his touring career in the 1980s and 1990s.
Has Julio Iglesias responded to the new complaint?
As of this report, Iglesias has not issued a fresh public statement specifically addressing the September complaint. He has, however, firmly denied the underlying allegations since they first surfaced in January, calling them absolutely false.
Does Spain actually have jurisdiction to investigate this case?
That question is exactly what the new complaint is trying to settle. Spanish prosecutors ruled in January that they lacked jurisdiction because the alleged events happened in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. Women’s Link Worldwide argues that Spanish law still allows prosecution of Spanish nationals for crimes committed abroad under certain conditions, and it is this argument that the Central Court of First Instance will now have to weigh.
