Spanish prosecutors drop abuse case against Julio Iglesias

MADRID, Jan 23 (Reuters) - ⁠Prosecutors at ⁠Spain's ‍High Court have shelved a preliminary investigation into singer Julio Iglesias, saying on Friday ‍that the court lacked jurisdiction as the ​alleged crimes were abroad and the accusers did not reside ​in the country.

Rights group Women's Link Worldwide had filed the complaint on January 5 on behalf of two women said ​to have worked in Iglesias' Caribbean residences over a 10-month period in 2021, based ​on an investigation by U.S. broadcaster Univision and Spanish outlet elDiario.es.

The accusations ‌included human trafficking for forced labour and servitude, sexual assault and violations of workers' ​rights. Iglesias described them as "completely ⁠false" in various social media posts.

Attempts by Reuters to contact representatives of ‌Iglesias, 82, have gone unanswered. His record label Sony has declined to comment on the case.

The prosecutor's office ‌said in a filing seen by Reuters that the High ‌Court was unable to try Iglesias as the alleged crimes were in the Dominican Republic and Bahamas, adding that ‍prosecution could still be sought in those two countries.

In addition, the alleged victims ⁠were not Spanish and did not reside in Spain, it said, citing Supreme Court jurisprudence that limited the legal principle of universal jurisdiction.

(Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

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