Julio Iglesias responds to allegations of sexual abuse and trafficking

Julio Iglesias has called the allegations of sexual abuse and trafficking made in a criminal complaint by two of his former employees “completely false”.

The alleged incidents came to light recently following a three-year joint investigation by Spanish TV network Univision Noticias and Spanish news site elDiario.es (as per The Guardian). Both spoke to and collected testimonies from 15 of the singer’s former employees.

The two women allege that in 2021 they were subjected to “inappropriate touching, insults and humiliation” while working for the Spanish singer – the father of Enrique Iglesias – in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas for 10 months. One of them, known under the alias of “Rebecca”, claimed Iglesias would call her into his room at the end of her shift and touch her inappropriately without her consent. She also claims that the instances usually took place in the presence of another employee, and made her feel “like a slave”.

The second woman, using the alias “Laura”, alleged that Iglesias kissed her on the mouth and groped her without consent. Both Laura and Rebecca also claimed that there was “an atmosphere of control and constant harassment” for employees, and accused the singer of “normalis[ing] abuse”.

In elDiario.es’s report, the interviews with the former staff members “describe the women’s conditions of isolation, labour disputes, the hierarchical structure of the staff, and the tense atmosphere created by Iglesias’s short-tempered character”.

It also reported that the two women were “interviewed repeatedly over more than a year and their accounts remained consistent throughout”, and claimed that “their statements are supported by extensive documentary evidence, such as photographs, call logs, WhatsApp messages, visas, medical reports and other documents.”

Preliminary proceedings into the complaint have been opened by prosecutors with Spain’s High Court.

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Now, after initially not responding to the outlet’s request for comment, Iglesias has now denied the allegations.

In a post written in Spanish containing his signature on his Instagram page, he denied “having abused, coerced or disrespected any woman. These accusations are completely false and cause me great sadness”. He added that messages of support sent to him brought him “great comfort”.

The two women’s complaint was filed on their behalf by Women’s Link Worldwide, who said they were ‌young Latin American women “in vulnerable situations who were ⁠heavily dependent on their wages due to ‌their economic and social conditions”.

Iglesias’ record label Sony has declined to comment on the allegations.

For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.

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