Spanish court rules Julio Iglesias is father of 43-year old man

MADRID - A Spanish court ruled on Wednesday that singer Julio Iglesias is the father of a 43-year old man, resolving a paternity dispute that had lasted three decades after the veteran star refused to take a DNA test.

Javier Sanchez-Santos was born in 1976 to Portuguese dancer Maria Edite Santos.

Iglesias' lawyer, Fernando Falomir, said the singer would appeal the ruling by the local court in Valencia.

"The ruling is based on the refusal (to take the DNA test), not on any other evidence. The fact that some photos show Mrs Santos and Julio Iglesias together that summer in a professional context is no proof," Falomir told TV channel A Punt.

In its ruling, the court said Iglesias' refusal to take the DNA test and evidence of "certain contact and relations" between the singer and Santos at the time of conception were sufficient to establish paternity.

Iglesias, 75, has sold more than 300 million records in 14 languages, making him the best-selling Latin artist ever. He turned to singing after a car accident in 1963 that ended his burgeoning career as a football player.

He has eight other children - three from his marriage to Isabel Preysler and five with his wife Miranda Rijnsburger.

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