Spanish King's brother-in-law chooses to do time in women's prison

Spanish King's brother-in-law chooses to do time in women's prison
Copyright  REUTERS/Enrique Calvo
By Marta Rodriguez MartinezPascale Davies
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The disgraced brother-in-law of King Felipe VII has opted for a small prison outside the city of Avila to serve out his sentence, where he will be the only male inmate.

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The disgraced brother-in-law of Spain's King Felipe's VI's has decided to serve out his sentence in a prison where he will be one of the only men.

Iñaki Urdangarin was found guilty last year of embezzling millions of euros between 2004-2006 from a non-profit foundation he headed in Majorca.

Last week Spain's Supreme Court rejected his appeal and handed him a sentence of five years and 10 months in prison.

Urdangarin, just as any citizen, was allowed to choose where he wanted to serve his sentence.

Princess Cristina's husband is not the first man to serve in the Brieva prison. The former director of the Civil Guard Luis Roldán, convicted in 1998 to 31 years for embezzlement offences, was also held in the same male unit.

Brieva prison is located 100 kilometres north of Madrid and, despite it being a prison for women, it has four cells reserved for male inmates.

The prison is one of the smallest in Spain and was built in 1989.

It is the first time in modern Spanish history that a monarch's relative has gone to prison. The case caused an uproar in Spain, which contributed to the decision of King Felipe VI's father Juan Carlos I to abdicate in 2014.

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