Madrid — Grammy Award-winning singer Julio Iglesias on Friday denied allegations of sexual assault against two former employees, calling the accusations “completely untrue.”
Media reports earlier this week claimed that Iglesias sexually and physically assaulted two women who worked at his residence in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas between January and October 2021. A day later, Spanish prosecutors said they were examining the allegations.
“It is with deep sadness that I respond to the accusations made by two people who previously worked in my household. I deny that I have ever abused, coerced, or disrespected any woman. These accusations are completely false and cause me great distress,” Iglesias said on Instagram.
Spanish news site elDiario.es and US television network Univision Noticias published the three-year joint investigation on January 13 into Iglesias’ alleged misconduct.
Officials said the Spanish Supreme Court received formal charges against Iglesias on January 5. Iglesias will likely appear before the Madrid-based court, which can try alleged crimes committed by Spanish citizens while abroad, according to its press office.
A rights group representing the two women said they were accusing Iglesias of “crimes against sexual freedom and compensation, such as sexual harassment” and “human trafficking for the purpose of forced labor and servitude.” Women’s Link Worldwide said the two women had filed the complaint with the Spanish court.
The 82-year-old singer is one of the world’s most successful music artists, having sold more than 300 million records in more than a dozen languages. After starting out in Spain, Iglesias gained immense popularity in the United States and around the world in the 1970s and 1980s. He is the father of pop singer Enrique Iglesias.
In 1988, he won a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance for his album Un Hombre Solo. He also received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy Awards in 2019.
“I have never faced such hatred before, but I still have the strength needed for people to know the full truth and defend my dignity against such a serious insult,” Iglesias wrote on social media.
He thanked those who sent messages of support.
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