MADRID, Spain (AFP)—Spain’s veteran singer and cultural icon Julio Iglesias on Friday rejected allegations of abuse lodged against him by two women ex-employees, in a case that has dominated headlines.

“I deny having abused, coerced, or disrespected any woman. These accusations are absolutely false and deeply sadden me,” the 82-year-old wrote on his Instagram account.

Iglesias, one of the most successful Latin artists of all time, is a Grammy winner with more than 300 million records sold in a career spanning decades.

Two women — a domestic worker and a physiotherapist — alleged they suffered sexual and other forms of abuse while working at Iglesias’s properties in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas in 2021.

Advocacy groups Women’s Link Worldwide and Amnesty International said a complaint filed with Spanish prosecutors on January 5 outlined alleged acts that could be considered “a crime of human trafficking for the purpose of forced labour” and “crimes against sexual freedom”.

Iglesias subjected them to “sexual harassment, regularly checked their mobile phones, restricted their ability to leave the home where they worked, and required them to work up to 16 hours a day without days off”, according to testimony collected by the two groups.

In the message posted on Instagram, Iglesias wrote: “It is with profound sadness that I respond to the accusations made by two people who previously worked for me.”

“I have never felt such malice, but I still have the strength to let people know the whole truth and to defend my dignity against such a serious accusation,” he said, thanking the “so many dear people” who have sent him messages of support.

The allegations against the beloved crooner have sparked strong reactions in Spain, with members of the leftist government backing the complainants and demanding that an investigation establishes the truth.

The head of the conservative opposition Popular Party, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, who is friends with Iglesias, told Telecinco television on Wednesday he was “very, very, very surprised” but urged against “speculating”.

Iglesias’s former manager Fernan Martinez told Telecinco that he was “very affectionate” and enjoyed “physical contact” but stressed he never saw the music icon “behave aggressively”.