Former king let off the paternity-suit hook

THE Supreme Court of Spain has changed its mind regarding a paternity suit against former King Juan Carlos and refused to hear the case.

The former king’s appeal against a decision to hear the case made by Supreme Court authorities last January has been accepted at a meeting today (March 11) and the suit presented by Belgian woman Ingrid Sartiau, who claims to be King Juan Carlos’s illegitimate daughter, will be shelved.

Judges accepted the appeal which the former king’s lawyers presented, considering that there were contradictions in the woman’s story, with seven votes in favour of shelving the case and three votes against.

The appeal was supported by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which had declared its opposition to the former king being made to provide DNA samples for testing.