MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Spain’s United Left coalition told Sputnik that there was no surprise in the fact that the country’s Royal Family was spending much more than officially stipulated in the state budget.
"There is nothing new, the Royal House have always spent more than officially budgeted," Jose Morales, spokesperson for the United Left, told Sputnik.
On Thursday, secretary general of the Communists of Catalonia party, Joan Josep Nuet, said that the actual expenditure by Spanish royalty exceeds the officially declared sum by a factor of five, reaching some $45 million a year.
The United Left called for a 30-percent reduction in the amount of money assigned to the royals in 2016.
In 2014, the Spanish Parliament approved a 2-percent cut to the Royal Family budget, compared to the previous year. The family has recently come under fire, with the King’s daughter, Infanta Cristina, suspected of involvement in fraudulent activities carried out by her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, who was accused of embezzling $7.3 million in public funds.