Ex-Spanish king’s former lover says life threatened
AFP, MADRID
The ex-lover of Spain’s king emeritus on Friday testified that her life had been threatened by a former spy chief on orders from the exiled monarch in a conversation that “terrified” her.
The explosive testimony by German-born business consultant Corinna Larsen emerged during the trial of a notorious retired police chief suspected of large-scale corruption whose revelations have shaken Spain’s elite.
However, her allegations were denied by General Felix Sanz Roldan, who served as head of Spain’s CNI intelligence service from 2009 to 2019.
Speaking to a court in Madrid by video conference from London, Larsen who also uses the surname Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn said she had been directly threatened in May 2012 by Sanz Roldan.
BBC News
By James Badcock
image captionMr Villarejo - a top undercover policeman - emerged from the shadows in 2016
Many intrigues and scandals have gripped Spain in recent years, from alleged royal corruption to ministerial dirty tricks against political rivals, yet in all that complexity one character seems to have been ever-present.
José Manuel Villarejo s name, and to a lesser extent his face - due to his obsession with disguise - are now known by millions in Spain. It is an ironic fate for an undercover policeman whose true identity was meant to remain his best-kept secret.
Mr Villarejo on Friday faces the first of what could be a series of criminal trials, as Spanish courts unravel his dealings through more than 25 separate investigations.