A Spanish court is investigating the singer Julio Iglesias after two women accused him of sexually assaulting them while in his employment.
The women worked at his homes in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. According to their testimonies, the assaults took place in 2021.
Spanish news site elDiario.es and US outlet Univision published the women’s claims following a three-year joint investigation.
The two outlets said Iglesias and his legal representative had not responded to requests for a response to the allegations.
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Iglesias (82) shot to fame in Spain in the late 1960s and went on to have a highly successful career around the world.
One of the women who accused him, named “Rebeca” in the media reports, was a domestic worker aged 22 at the time. She said the singer routinely summoned her each day and she was forced to have non-consensual sex with him.
“I felt like an object, like a slave in the middle of the 21st century,” she said. “He stuck his fingers everywhere.”
Rebeca alleged that Iglesias had forced her to have sexual encounters with another more senior female staff member in his presence. She also alleged that the singer physically abused her in other ways, including slapping her face and squeezing her genitals.
The other accuser was named “Laura”, a physical therapist. She said Iglesias kissed her on the mouth and touched her breasts against her will. She said that although she repeatedly rejected his sexual advances, there were other girls who were unable to do this, and “he did what he wanted with them”.
The reports also detailed allegations that the singer used highly coercive and threatening behaviour, including controlling how much the women ate, asking them about their menstruation cycles and checking their phones.
The two outlets state that the allegations are backed up by documentary evidence, including photographs, phone records, text messages and medical reports. Other former employees of the singer quoted by them alleged difficult working conditions and a highly stressful atmosphere.
Both women have filed a lawsuit accusing Iglesias of sexual assault and human trafficking with Spain’s national court, which is able to investigate crimes outside the country if they involve Spanish nationals.
“We will work and keep working so that there is no space for impunity in any area of society, and we will not turn a blind eye to any case like this one,” government spokeswoman Elma Saiz said.
The president of the Madrid region, populist conservative Isabel Díaz Ayuso, expressed support for Iglesias, calling him “the most universal of all singers”.
