Sanchez Says He Doesn’t Know Whereabouts of Spain’s Former King

(Bloomberg) -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he supports the departure by ex-King Juan Carlos I from Spain but doesn't know where the former head of state has gone.

The decision for Juan Carlos to abandon the country he ruled for nearly four decades allows his son, King Felipe VI, and the Royal House to distance themselves from the allegations of wrongdoing surrounding the former monarch, Sanchez said in a televised press conference.

Sanchez signaled his support for the parliamentary monarchy. Juan Carlos informed Felipe of his intention to leave Spain in a letter published yesterday on the website of the Royal House.

Read More: Former King Abandons Spain in Disgrace as Legal Woes Pile Up

“Institutions aren't being judged, people are being judged,” the premier said. “At a time like now, when we have a pandemic that humanity hasn't faced in the last one hundred years, Spain needs stability and robust institutions.”

Sanchez leads a coalition government with the far-left Podemos party, whose leaders have said Juan Carlos's exit amounts to an attempt to flee justice in Spain and, as such, undermines the monarchy. Sanchez, in contrast, said Juan Carlos's departure from Spain was appropriate.

He said he didn't know the whereabouts of the former king.

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