Prosecutors are seeking eight years in prison for millions of dollars in income taxes that the singer says she has already paid.
BARCELONA, Spain – A Spanish judge on Tuesday approved the trial of Colombian pop singer Shakira on tax fraud charges.
Spanish prosecutors accused the artist in 2018 of failing to pay 14.5 million euros ($13.9 million) in taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014. The prosecutor’s office demands eight years of imprisonment and a hefty fine if she is found guilty of tax evasion.
Shakira, 45, has repeatedly denied her guilt and rejected a deal with authorities to avoid trial. Her PR firm said she had already paid the entire debt plus an additional 3 million euros ($2.8 million) in interest.
A court in Espluges de Llobregat, near Barcelona, said Shakira would face six counts of tax fraud. A court date has not yet been set.
The case is related to where Shakira lived in 2012-14. Prosecutors in Barcelona say the Grammy winner spent more than half of that period in Spain and had to pay taxes in the country, even though her official residence was in the Bahamas.
Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, has been linked to Spain since she started dating footballer Gerard Pique. The couple, who have two children, used to live together in Barcelona, but recently their 11-year relationship ended.
Over the past decade, Spain has cracked down on soccer stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for not paying their full taxes. They were found guilty of evasion, but both avoided jail time thanks to a provision that allows a judge to set aside sentences of less than two years for first-time offenders.
https://www.10tv.com/article/news/nation-world/shakira-tax-fraud-trial/507-307f88bb-3b6a-49bd-a6e7-0acbe421d0b4
