In December 2011, the judge attendant of the Palma Arena case, José Castro, charged nine individuals. In 2013, after one of the accused, Diego Torres, had confessed, the list increased to 10. the list has grown to 18.The main defendants have been:
Iñaki Urdangarín Liebaert, former handball player and husband of the infanta of Spain, Cristina de Borbón, daughter of King Juan Carlos I. He has been facing charges since 2012 for using his former title of Duke of Palma to embezzle about 6 million euros in public funds for sporting events. On 17 February 2017, Urdangarin was given a six-year-and-three-month prison sentence for his role in the case. In appeal the Supreme Court changed this on 12 June 2018 into a term of five years and ten months.
Diego Torres
Cristina de Borbón y Grecia, Infanta of Spain, then Duchess of Palma, daughter of King Juan Carlos I of Spain. Charged since April 2013. with two counts of tax fraud, facing a possible eight-year sentence. She was acquitted in February 2017 of the charges.
José Luis Ballester Tuliesa, "Pepote" Ballester, former Olympic sailor, managing director of Sports of the Government of the Balearic Islands.
Carlos García Revenga, private secretary of the infantas and member of the patronate of the Queen Sofía Foundation. Licensed in Pedagogics, and Schoolteachers, former teacher of the Santa María del Camino college. Charged since February 2013.
Jaume Matas i Palou, former Balearic president, one of the first defendants. Under his term the regional executive ordered the Nóos Institute to organize two forums about tourism and sport from which Urdangarín's company supposedly pocketed €2.3 million between 2005 and 2006.
Miguel Zorío, owner of the company Communication Lobby and collaborator of Urdangarín and Torres as from 2004, when he managed the Valencia Summit, a sports summit that Nóos organized for the Valencian government.
Timeline
In February 2006, Antoni Dieguez, a Socialist representative in the Balearic Parliament, said that the Government chaired by Jaume Matas had paid 1.2 million euros to the Nóos Institute for a 3-day forum on tourism and sport from 22 until 25 November 2005, with minimal impact. In the summer of 2007 the Palma Arena case began, when an imbalance of more than 50 million euros in the accounts of the newly opened sports center Palma Arena became public as it had cost 110 million with a bidding price of 43 million. In 2010, the Nóos case was opened as derived from the Palma Arena case. in the Palma Arena records police found two collaboration agreements between the Balearic Government and the Nóos Institute. The magistrate Jose Castro found sufficient cause to open a separate case, misappropriation of public funds, embezzlement of public funds and fraudulent administration.
