Amid scandal, spain king’s son-in-law has Qatar job offer

MADRID, Spain – Spanish King Juan Carlos’ son-in-law Inaki Urdangarin, under investigation for allegedly embezzling million of euros of public money, has received a job offer in Qatar in the handball field, Spanish media reported Monday, April 8.

The 45-year-old former Olympic handball champion has been invited to accompany Spain’s national handball coach Valerio Rivero to Qatar if Valerio agrees to manage the Gulf state’s national team, daily newspapers ABC and La Vanguardia as well as radio Cadena Cope reported.

Oil and gas-rich Qatar has offered Rivero, who led Spain to their second world handball championship title in January, a yearly salary of 800,000 euros ($1,000,000) if he agrees to coach its national team, according to ABC.

“Inaki Urdangarin has agreed to join Valero Rivera to work with him for the Qatar handball team, if the coach accepts the offer which he has on the table,” added Barcelona-based daily La Vanguardia.

But TV3, the public broadcaster in Spain’s northeastern region of Catalonia where Urdangarin lives with his wife Princess Cristina, said Urdangarin would be charged with promoting handball in Qatar.

“TV3 has been told that Urdangarin would promote handball and he would also be responsible for supervising the organization of the 2015 World Handball Championship, hired by the Qatari government,” the station said on its website.

Urdangarin and his former business partner Diego Torres are at the heart of a corruption investigation, opened at the end of 2011, centered on allegations of influence peddling and embezzlement.

The pair is suspected of overbilling regional governments to stage sports and tourism events, and then syphoning off money to the non-profit Noos Institute, which Urdangarin chaired from 2004 to 2006.

Urdangarin’s wife Cristina, the king’s youngest daughter, was officially named a suspect in the case last week and ordered to be questioned in court, dealing a major blow to the prestige of the monarchy.

Urgangarin won bronze medals in Spain’s handball team at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.

He retired from professional handball after marrying Cristina in 1997. – Rappler.com