Pop star Shakira to face trial in Spain over tax fraud
ASpanish judge approved a trial for pop singer Shakira on charges of tax fraud. The singer, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, was accused in 2018 of failing to pay 14.5 million taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014. The date of trial is yet to be set.
The prosecutors are seeking an eight-year prison sentence and a hefty fine if Shakira is found guilty. According to the news agency Associated Press, the singer’s public relations firm has said that she has already paid all that she owed and an additional 3 million euros in interest.
“I am confident that I have enough proof to support my case and that justice will prevail in my favour”, Shakira recently said in an interview with the Spanish edition of Elle magazine.
The court based in Barcelona said that Shakira would face six counts of tax fraud. The case hinges on where the Grammy-winning singer lived during 2012-14. The prosecutors in Barcelona have alleged that Shakira spent more than half of that period in Spain and should have paid taxes in the country even though her official residence was in the Bahamas.
According to Shakira’s lawyers, she earned most of her money from international tours until 2014 and moved to Spain full-time only in 2015 and has met all tax obligations.
Colombian singer Shakira has been linked to Spain since she started dating soccer player Gerard Pique. They have two children and used to live together in Barcelona. However, the couple recently broke up and ended their 11-year relationship.
(With inputs from Associated Press)
