Spanish Princess in the dock as corruption trial begins

Cristiana de Bourbon, the sister of King Felipe VI of Spain, took her place among the accused as the Noos Corruption trial began in Palma de Mallorca on Monday morning.

The Princess, who arrived at the court alongside her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, becomes the first member of the Spanish Royal family to face criminal charges and she does so along with Urdangarin and 16 others.

Cristiana is charged with tax-evasion, while Urdangarin faces a long list of charges, including embezzlement, trafficking of influence, money laundering, fraud and providing false documents.

If found guilty, Cristiana could face an eight year jail sentence, while her husband, a former Spain international handball player, could receive over 19 years in prison.

The Noos trial will look at the dealings of the Noos Institute, a supposedly non-profit making institution set up by Urdangarin and his partner, Diego Torres which is thought to have embezzled 6.2 million euros (6.7 million US dollars) for organizing sporting and social events.

Some of that money was siphoned off through a company called 'Aizoon' of which Cristiana and her husband were the directors.

Over 360 witnesses have been called to testify and 600 journalists accredited to cover the trial which could last around 6 months.

The Princess has one last hope of avoiding standing trial with the other 17 accused and that is if the judges decide to apply what has become known as the 'Botin Doctrine.'

This is based on a precedent set in 2007 when Emilio Botin, the former President of the Banco Santander was able to avoid a fraud trial because accusations leveled against him came from a private source rather than the Spanish State Prosecutor's office or the Treasury.

Given that the charges against the Princess come from the trade union 'Manos Limpios' (literally Clean Hands) while the State Prosecutor and Treasury have not pressed charged, Cristiana's defense lawyers argue that she too should be exonerated.

Although this would take the Princess out of the dock, it would do little to increase trust in the Spanish Monarchy especially after Urdangarin's former partner, Torres gave a TV interview on Sunday night in which he said that King Juan Carlos had monitored the dealings of the Noos Institute and offered advice on their business deals. Endit