There is confusion about the fate of former Spanish king Juan Carlos in the midst of a corruption investigation into his dealings.
According to the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, Carlos fled Portugal to the Dominican Republic on Monday and will spend the next few weeks with a wealthy family. Another Spanish newspaper, El Confidencial, said that Carlos is still in Portugal near the capital of Lisbon.
The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said he did know the whereabouts of the former king.
Charles had told his son King Felipe VI in a letter on Monday that he planned to travel to Spain.
“Guided by the conviction of making the most productive service to the Spanish people, to your establishments and you as king, I speak with my considered resolve to move, right now, out of Spain,” Carlos said in the letter.
Spain’s Supreme Court opened an investigation in June into Charles’ ties to a high-speed rail contract in Saudi Arabia. A Swiss newspaper reported that Charles had earned $100 million from the king of Saudi Arabia from the agreement.
Charles abdicated his throne in 2014 amid a misappropriation scandal involving his daughter and son-in-law. It was also criticized in 2012 by a beloved elephant hunt in Botswana as the country faced an economic crisis.