Madrid - The Spanish Supreme Court has upheld a long-term
prison sentence against Inaki Urdangarin, the brother-in-law of
Spain's King Felipe VI, in a slightly weakened form.
The Tribunal Supremo in Madrid decided that the 50-year-old husband
of Infanta Cristina would serve five years and 10 months behind bars
for a number of financial crimes, a court spokesman told dpa on
Tuesday, confirming media reports.
Urdangarin was convicted in February 2017 for money laundering,
document falsification, fraud and the embezzlement of 6 million euros
(about 7 million dollars) in taxpayers' money by a court in Palma de
Mallorca.
The former handball star, who appealed against the verdict, was
originally sentenced to six years and three months by the court.
In total, 17 suspects were accused in the affair, which centred on
the supposedly non-profit foundation, the Noos Institute.
Cristina, who is the younger of King Felipe VI's two sisters and
sixth in the line of succession, was also accused of tax evasion,
before being acquitted.
She became the first close relative of a Spanish king to be put on
trial in court.
Since the escalation of the financial affair more than four years
ago, the Urdangarin couple have had barely any contact with the royal
family, with the scandal seriously damaging the image of the Casa
Real.