The China Mail - Spanish singer Julio Iglesias prepares defence against abuse allegations: Hola! magazine

The story published late on Wednesday comes after the accusations against one of Spain's cultural icons were revealed by Spanish newspaper elDiario.es and US television network Univision on Tuesday.

The women -- a domestic worker and a physiotherapist -- allege they suffered sexual and other forms of abuse while working at Iglesias's properties in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas in 2021.

Advocacy groups Women's Link Worldwide and Amnesty International said a complaint filed with Spanish prosecutors on January 5 outlined alleged acts that could be considered "a crime of human trafficking for the purpose of forced labour" and "crimes against sexual freedom".

Iglesias subjected them to "sexual harassment, regularly checked their mobile phones, restricted their ability to leave the home where they worked, and required them to work up to 16 hours a day without days off", according to testimony collected by the two groups.

Grammy-winning crooner Iglesias, 82, has made no public comments about the allegations.

Hola! said it spoke by telephone with Iglesias, who told them the truth would come out and everything would be clarified, but provided no direct quotes from the conversation.

Iglesias is preparing his defence and wishes to clear any doubts about what happened, Hola! wrote, saying it obtained the exclusive interview thanks to a years-long friendship with him.

Iglesias's entourage has denied the accusations in private and is shocked, Hola! added.

Jovana Rios Cisnero, executive director of Women's Link, told a press conference on Wednesday that the complainants would testify before public prosecutors at an unspecified date, saying it was "a very important step in the search for justice".

The organisation's legal director for Europe, Gema Fernandez, said the complaint was submitted in Spain and not the Caribbean countries where the crimes allegedly took place because Spanish legislation on gender-based violence and trafficking "may be an interesting option to provide access to justice for these women".

- Public shock -

The allegations have sparked strong reactions in Spain, with members of the leftist government backing the complainants and demanding that an investigation establishes the truth.

The head of the conservative opposition Popular Party, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, who is friends with Iglesias, told Telecinco television on Wednesday he was "very, very, very surprised" but urged against "speculating".

Iglesias's former manager Fernan Martinez told Telecinco that he was "very affectionate" and enjoyed "physical contact" but stressed he never saw the music icon "behave aggressively".

Iglesias is one of the most successful Latin artists of all time, with more than 300 million records sold in a career spanning decades.

Advocates say the wave of claims against high-profile entertainment and music figures in recent years, driven by the #MeToo movement that rose to prominence in 2017, has exposed systemic abuse.

Q.Yam--ThChM