Spain's Princess Cristina cleared of corruption charges

By Alyssa McMurtry

MADRID (AA) - Princess Cristina, the older sister of Spain’s King Felipe VI, was cleared of all charges in a major corruption trial on Friday, but her husband was sentenced to over six months in jail by a Spanish court.

Inaki Urdangarin -- the monarch’s brother-in-law -- was convicted by the Mallorca court of perversion of justice, embezzlement, fraud, influence peddling and tax fraud.

Public prosecutors had not been seeking charges against the princess but the court did, however, find her civilly responsible, meaning she will have to pay a €265,088 ($282,170) fine.

Urdangarin’s final sentence is less than a third of what public prosecutors originally demanded -- 19 and a half years.

The verdicts are in relation to a corruption ring surrounding Urdangarin’s non-profit organization, the Noos Institute, which siphoned off more than €6 million ($6.4 million) in public funds.

Fifteen other defendants -- including former politicians and business people -- stood trial alongside the Spanish royals.

Several were acquitted, but others were convicted, among them Diego Torres -- Urdangarin’s former business partner -- who was sentenced to more than eight years in prison.

The case began in 2010 and is the first in which a member of Spain’s royal family stood accused.

Friday’s sentences are not final and may be appealed.