Catalan MEP Clara Ponsatí has spoken out in the European Parliament against a key area of the Spanish royal family's business dealings with Saudi Arabia: the exports of Spanish arms to the Middle Eastern kingdom, an activity which has continued with the connivance of the Pedro Sánchez government. Ponsatí also denounced that the Spanish executive has not only refused to investigate the businesses of the king emeritus Juan Carlos I, but also "took part in the cover-up" of those financial dealings "by sending him to Abu Dhabi so that he can hide from Swiss justice".
"Corrupt interests in a member state cannot take precedence over our moral obligations," she told the plenary in her speech in English, calling for an end to such practices.
Ponsatí explained that the European Parliament's repeated calls to stop the exports of Spanish arms to Saudi Arabia have been ignored, and that Spain, with a "long tradition" in this area, approved sales of arms worth 400 million euros last year under the Sánchez government.
As for the monarchy, she explained that "deals with the Saudis are the family business of the Spanish royals" and that this has gone on with the knowing acceptance of all Spanish governments since 1975.
"Fortunately, king Juan Carlos's affairs with his Saudi buddies are now finally under investigation, but not in Spain: in Switzerland," she recalled, in reference to the case opened by Swiss prosecutors against the king emeritus relating to a 100 million dollar bank account.
Juan Carlos is now based in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates - a state which has no extradition treaty with Switzerland.