Spanish king's brother-in-law to appeal jail sentence

The Spanish king's brother-in-law, who was sentenced to over six years in jail for syphoning off millions in a case that shamed the royals, will appeal to the Supreme Court, judicial authorities said Friday. Inaki Urdangarin was one of seven who formally announced they would appeal in the so-called Noos case, said the High Court of the Balearic Islands -- which oversees all courts in the archipelago where the trial was held. The husband of Princess Cristina was given a jail sentence of six years and three months in February for syphoning off millions of euros between 2004 and 2006 from a foundation he headed in the island of Majorca. Cristina herself was also tried on charges that she helped her husband evade taxes, but the 51-year-old princess was acquitted. Urdangarin's former business associate Diego Torres, who was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison, will also appeal as will others involved in the case including Jaume Matas, former conservative regional president of the Balearic Islands, the court said. The Supreme Court will either confirm, overturn, reduce or increase the sentences, and its decision will be final. The corruption scandal involving Urdangarin, which broke out in 2010, sparked outrage at a time when the country was going through a devastating crisis, becoming a symbol of the elite's perceived corruption. It soured the end of the reign of king Juan Carlos, who gave up the throne in June 2014 hoping his son Felipe VI who replaced him could freshen up the image of the monarchy. Since the scandal erupted in 2010, Urdangarin and Cristina have been excluded from all of the family's official public appearances.