Spain set to replace India ambassador Juan Antonio March amid row over greater spending on cultural events

The Spanish government has begun the process of replacing its ambassador to India, Juan Antonio March, following complaints about allegedly organising cultural events at great expense without clearance from the foreign ministry, according to a media report.Spain’s ambassador to India, Juan Antonio March. The envoy is expected to be replaced within weeks amid controversy over cultural events and embassy spending. (Embassy of Spain in India)March was appointed as the envoy to India in September 2024 and is expected to be replaced within a few weeks, The Objective, a Spanish digital daily newspaper, reported, citing its sources.Also read: South Africa recalls India envoy over presence at event with one of corruption-accused Gupta brothersMadrid seeks agreement for new India envoyThe Spanish government, at the request of foreign minister José Manuel Albares, has sent a communication to the Indian side for an agrément or formal understanding for appointing Alfredo Martínez Serrano, currently envoy to Canada, as the new ambassador in New Delhi.March has been at the centre of a controversy since reports emerged earlier this year that he was planning to organise concerts in Rajasthan, featuring STEM Dance Kampni of Bengaluru and the tenors Joan Laínez and Zhu Huiling, that were to have coincided with the ambassador’s birthday. The Objective reported these concerts were being organised “without the approval of his superiors in Madrid”. Spanish authorities subsequently vetoed the cultural events proposed by March.Also read: India’s new envoy to China presents credentials to Chinese foreign ministryAnti-corruption office receives reportOpposition lawmakers and UGT, a major Spanish trade union, have called for the ambassador’s dismissal. Spain’s Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office received a report in May from a foreign ministry official that said certain details regarding the ambassador, which “if true, could have criminal relevance in the area of public procurement and the management of funds”, it reported.Last year, Zhu, who has dual Chinese and German nationality, received €18,000 from the Spanish embassy in New Delhi for concerts organised by March, according to the media report.Zhu was hired for two concerts in New Delhi and Kathmandu in July, and another in Bhutan in October, when the ambassador went to present his credentials.In a series of reports earlier this year, The Objective detailed how the matter had come to light after the Spanish embassy’s cultural attach sent a report to Madrid on plans to raise funds for concerts in 2026 without informing the foreign ministry. The hiring of Zhu, who lives in China, stood out as Spanish embassies are obligated to promote the country’s culture with Spanish artists or local performers who have artistic ties to Spain, the reports said.