Spain ex-king paid tax debt, lawyer says

MADRID — A law firm representing Juan Carlos I says that the former Spanish monarch has paid close to $5.33 million to the country’s tax authorities in his latest attempt to regularize past undeclared income.

The 83-year-old former king, who has been living abroad for more than half a year after media reports revealed fresh allegations of financial misdeeds, already filed for settlement for another tax debt in December for covert donations made to him between 2016 and 2018. That resulted in the payment of more than $818,000 including interest and a fine.

Carlos’ lawyer said in a statement Friday that the latest tax debt relates to the payments that a private foundation, Zagatka, made on behalf of the former king for “several travel expenses and other services.”

The lawyer’s statement said that the payment of overdue taxes plus interests and “surcharges” was voluntary and that tax authorities had not asked for it. Under Spanish law, confessing to undeclared income and paying the outstanding taxes allows offenders to avoid being charged with tax evasion.

The former king is the target of official investigations in Spain and Switzerland for possible financial wrongdoing. One of them involves possible kickbacks in a high-speed railway contract in Saudi Arabia. Those investigations prompted him to leave Spain in August for the United Arab Emirates.

The Royal Palace declined to comment on the new developments. Felipe and Tax Minister Maria Jesus Montero avoided any comments on the latest development on Friday.