Julio Iglesias responds to sex abuse and trafficking allegations

Julio Iglesias responds to sex abuse and trafficking allegations | Ents & Arts News

Julio Iglesias has denied abusing two former domestic employees behind a criminal complaint against him, calling the accusations “completely false”.

Prosecutors with Spain’s High Court have opened preliminary proceedings into the complaint lodged by women who used to work for him in the Caribbean.

In a post written in Spanish containing his signature and published on his Instagram page, the Spaniard said he denied “having abused, coerced or disrespected any woman. These accusations are completely false and cause me great sadness”.

He said messages of support had given him “great comfort”.

The women said he was guilty of human trafficking for forced labour and servitude, sexual abuse and violations of workers’ rights, according to Women’s Link Worldwide, the campaign group which filed the complaint on their behalf.

It comes after Spanish online newspaper elDiario.es and Spanish-language television channel Univision Noticias published a joint investigation into Iglesias’ alleged misconduct following a three-year investigation.

Women’s Link Worldwide described the complainants as ‌young Latin American women “in vulnerable situations who were ⁠heavily dependent on their wages due to ‌their economic and social conditions”.

Identified under the pseudonyms Rebeca and Laura, they worked in the singer’s homes in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas for 10 months in 2021, the group said.

The investigation reported that Rebeca described being “used” almost every night by Iglesias and that she felt like “an object, like a slave”.

She described one of the star’s residences as a “little house of terror because it is a nightmare – something truly horrible”.

Laura described the working environment as “uncomfortable”, with workers in a “constant state of alert” where Iglesias “normalised abuse”.

Formal allegations against Iglesias were filed with the court earlier this month.

The court has not provided any details of the case, which is subject to secrecy rules.

The star’s record label, Sony, has declined to comment on the allegations.

Iglesias, 82, is one of ‌the world’s best-selling Latin artists, with more than 300 million records sold in 14 languages, and is the father of Hero singer Enrique.

After making his start in Spain, he has built a large following in the US.

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