Left-wing party Izquierda Unida (IU) has demanded Julio Iglesias be stripped of public honours in Malaga following allegations of sexual abuse made by two former employees.
It comes after Spain’s Fiscalía de la Audiencia Nacional confirmed it has opened preliminary proceedings to examine a complaint filed on January 5 against the icon.
The case relates to allegations of sexual harassment and assault dating back to 2021, which were revealed this week in a joint investigation by eldiario.es and Univision Noticias.
According to that investigation, two former employees – who worked at Iglesias’ properties in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas – accuse the artist of sexual abuse, harassment and abuse of power while they were employed in his household.
Iglesias has not publicly responded to the allegations.
IU has urged Malaga’s public institutions to withdraw all honours previously granted to the singer, including his title of Adopted Son of the Province of Malaga and the name of an avenue in Puerto Banus, Marbella.
Toni Morillas, IU’s provincial coordinator in Malaga, said the party felt ‘absolute revulsion’ after learning of the accusations.
She stated that the women had described situations of sexual violence, mistreatment and humiliation, which she said were exercised from a position of power.
Morillas argued that public institutions must send a clear message that ‘those accused of sexual violence do not deserve honours or public recognition’, adding that neither fame nor wealth should place anyone above accountability.
IU insists that Malaga should not maintain public distinctions for ‘a presumed sexual aggressor’ and has announced it will formally request the removal of all institutional honours linked to Iglesias within the province.
Julio Iglesias was awarded the title of Hijo Adoptivo de la Provincia de Málaga in 2009, at a time when he spent part of the year living in the area.
The proceedings opened by the National Court Prosecutor’s Office are pre-trial investigative steps and were initiated before the publication of the journalistic investigation, according to sources within the prosecution service. No charges have been filed at this stage.
The case remains under investigation.
Iglesias is one of Spain’s most internationally successful and recognisable artists, with a career spanning more than five decades and record sales estimated at over 300 million worldwide.
Born in Madrid in 1943, Iglesias initially pursued a career in football and was signed as a goalkeeper for Real Madrid Castilla. His sporting ambitions ended abruptly after a serious car accident at the age of 19 left him temporarily paralysed.
During his recovery, he began playing the guitar and writing songs – a turning point that set him on the path to music.
He rose to fame in the late 1960s after winning the Benidorm Song Festival and went on to represent Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970.
From there, his career expanded rapidly beyond Spain, particularly in Latin America, the United States and Europe. Iglesias became known for his romantic ballads, smooth baritone voice and multilingual repertoire, recording songs in Spanish, English, French, Italian, Portuguese and German.
