Barcelona, Spain– Spanish prosecutors are examining allegations that Grammy Award-winning singer Julio Iglesias sexually assaulted two former employees at his residences in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.
The allegations are linked to media reports earlier this week that Iglesias sexually and physically assaulted two women who worked at his residences in the Caribbean between January and October 2021, the Spanish Attorney General’s Office told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Iglesias has not yet spoken publicly about the allegations. Russell L. King, a Miami-based entertainment attorney who lists Iglesias as a client on his website, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP.
The Spanish Public Prosecutor’s Office, which handles Spanish National Court cases, said it received formal allegations against Iglesias by an unnamed party on January 5. Iglesias will likely be brought before the Madrid-based court, which can try alleged crimes committed by Spanish citizens while abroad, according to the court’s press office.
Women’s Link Worldwide, an NGO, said in a statement that it represents the two women who filed the complaint with the Spanish court. The group said the women accuse Iglesias of “crimes against sexual freedom and compensation such as sexual harassment” and “human trafficking for the purpose of forced labor and servitude.”
Spanish online newspaper elDiario.es and Spanish-language television channel Univision Noticias published the joint investigation into Iglesias’ alleged misconduct.
Spanish government spokeswoman Elma Saez said media reports regarding Iglesias “demand respect.”
“Once again I can reaffirm this government’s firm and complete commitment to confront any act of violence, harassment or assault against women,” Saez said on Tuesday after the media reports were published.
Banky Corsino, spokesman for the Dominican Republic’s Attorney General’s Office, declined to comment, saying he could neither confirm nor deny the investigation.
By law, any case in the Caribbean nation that involves sexual assault or violence must be investigated by prosecutors, even if no one files a complaint.
Iglesias, 82, 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, it 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.
Julio Iglesias won a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance in 1988 for his album “Un Hombre Solo.” He also received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy Awards in 2019.
Spain’s culture minister said on Wednesday that his leftist government, which makes women’s rights and equality among its priorities, will also consider stripping Iglesias of the state’s Golden Order of Merit in Fine Arts that he received in 2010.
“It is something that we are studying and evaluating, because obviously we feel compelled to do so when we are faced with such a serious situation,” Culture Minister Ernest Ortosan said.
___
Suman Nishadham in Madrid and Martin Adams in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.