Date Published: 09/05/2024
Shakira reaches agreement with Spanish authorities to close tax fraud case
The tax office in Spain has fined the Colombian millions for allegedly hiding assets in foreign tax havens
Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira has successfully resolved her legal disputes with Spanish prosecutors regarding allegations of tax evasion.
“The Barcelona provincial prosecutor’s office for financial crimes has requested that the proceedings against Shakira be closed ... for the 2018 tax year,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement, citing “insufficient evidence” as the reason behind the decision.
Initially targeted for the second time in July, the ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ artist faced jail time and huge fines for allegedly using corporate entities in known tax havens to avoid paying taxes she owed in Spain.
Barely a month later, according to the singer’s representatives, she settled the tax debt before striking a deal with prosecutors ahead of her trial linked to an earlier tax dispute concerning earnings amassed between 2012 and 2014.
The Colombian star claimed that she didn’t move to Spain until 2015, and so denied owing the tax authorities upwards of 14.5 million. If the trial had gone ahead and she had been convicted, Shakira was facing more than eight years behind bars.
Addressing reporters, the so-called Queen of Latin Pop explained she had reached the deal “with the best interest of my kids at heart” because she needed “to move past the stress and emotional toll of the last several years” and focus on her music career.
Now 47, Shakira resides in Miami with her two boys following her separation from soccer titan Gerard Piqué.
Piqué faced his own accusations of financial misconduct back in 2016, when the Spanish courts fined him 2.1 million euros, although the conviction was overturned in 2021.
Last year, Shakira again hit the headlines when her Argentinian collaborator, Bizarrap, won the Latin Grammy for Song of the Year with a single aimed at Piqué, referencing alleged debts owed to the tax authority.
Since retiring from football, Piqué has maintained a relatively private profile.
Image: Georges Biard via Wikimedia Commons
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