Nóos judge seizes duke and duchess of Palma’s €10m Barcelona mansion

A luxury mansion in the upmarket Pedralbes neighborhood of Barcelona, which is owned by Princess Cristina and her husband Iñaki Urdangarin, is now in the hands of the courts.

The judge investigating the Nóos corruption case, which is looking into allegations that Urdangarin siphoned off millions of euros of public funds to private companies through his non-profit Nóos institute, on Monday executed the seizure of half of the mansion in order to help cover the 6.1-million-euro civil-liability bond imposed on the king’s son-in-law and his former business partner Diego Torres.

Three other smaller homes in Palma de Mallorca and Terrassa owned by the duke and princess, as well as storage rooms and parking places, were also frozen – a total of 16 properties.

Half of the 1,000-square-meter mansion, which now lies empty and is on the market for 10 million euros, has been seized by the courts. The entry in the property registry will not impede any future deeds transfers relating to the house, but sellers and potential buyers will be warned about the legal situation of the property.

In another development on Monday, Judge José Castro summoned the mayor of Valencia, Rita Barberá, and former Valencia regional premier, Francisco Camps, to appear before him on November 15 and 16 as witnesses to answer questions on contracts worth more than three million euros signed with the Nóos Institute.

The move has come in the wake of a request by the public prosecutor for the pair to be called in as witnesses to shed light on the extent of their involvement in negotiations with Urdangarin.