Julio Iglesias

Two former employees accused Julio Iglesias of sexual violence and assault, trafficking for forced labour or servitude, and violations of workers' rights at his residences in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. A complaint was filed in Spain, and prosecutors at the National Court opened preliminary inquiries. On 23 January 2026, prosecutors closed the case because Spanish courts lacked territorial jurisdiction.

Four maintenance employees at the Punta Cana property were dismissed at the start of the pandemic. Three brought unfair dismissal proceedings, while a fourth accepted a settlement. In June 2026, a Dominican court rejected the claims of two brothers after finding that they were legally classified as domestic workers and were not entitled to the ordinary compensation sought.

Attribution

Directly implicated

Following publication of allegations by his former employees, Julio Iglesias launched legal counteraction: a claim before the Supreme Court against deputy prime minister Yolanda Díaz, seeking 50,000 euros for damage to his reputation, and a criminal complaint against the editor and several journalists at elDiario.es alleging insults, defamation and attacks on moral integrity.

Attribution

Personally implicated

Julio Iglesias, his wife and holding companies were sued in Florida by a property agent claiming nearly six million euros in commission following a transaction involving assets linked to Indian Creek land sold to a buyer associated with Qatar's ruling family. The Miami-Dade court record confirms the existence of the proceedings.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Accused

A 2021 letter shows that Julio Iglesias asked the Spanish consulate in the Dominican Republic to facilitate Type C Schengen visas for household staff travelling to Spain "para atender a mi familia" (to look after my family). Employees stated that they had in fact worked at his Spanish residence, although this type of visa does not authorise paid employment. The Foreign Ministry opened an internal investigation into how the visas had been issued.

State of the evidence

Documented

Javier Sánchez Santos maintained for decades that he was Julio Iglesias's biological son. A first-instance court ruled in his favour in 2019, but the Provincial Court subsequently rejected the claim, notably on grounds of res judicata. The Supreme Court refused the appeal in 2021 and the Constitutional Court rejected the amparo appeal in 2022.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Documents relating to the Andorran accounts of Mexican lawyer Juan Ramón Collado revealed a private contract worth approximately 850,000 dollars for a Julio Iglesias concert at a birthday celebration in 2014. Invoicing was channelled through International Concerts Ltd, a British Virgin Islands company, with a UBS account in the Bahamas.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

The Pandora Papers revealed that Julio Iglesias was the beneficiary of at least twenty companies in the British Virgin Islands, some used to hold properties in Indian Creek and Surfside in Miami, as well as an aircraft. The structures were administered by Trident Trust and linked to a family trust.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Julio Iglesias was sued in the United States for allegedly plagiarising the song "Hey". In 1991, a court rejected the claim after finding that essential elements of the music predated the work cited by the claimant.

Attribution

Personally implicated