Shakira has just learned that she could face more than eight years in prison and a $24.5 million fine if she is found guilty in an ongoing case where the Spanish authorities accused her of tax fraud!
Back in 2018, Spanish authorities accused the 45-year-old Colombian singer – real name Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll – of evading taxes of around $15 million between 2012 and 2014. The prosecutors allegedly highlighted the amount of taxes she owed, as well as her history of using offshore tax havens, as aggravating factors in the case, which is now expected to go to trial after she allegedly rejected a settlement deal. As it currently stands, a trial date has not been set, but the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer is reportedly “confident that her innocence will be proven by the end of the judicial process,” according to her rep.
"Shakira has always cooperated and abided by the law, demonstrating impeccable conduct as an individual and a taxpayer, and faithfully following the counsel of PricewaterhouseCoopers, a prestigious and globally recognized tax firm," a rep for the singer told Good Morning America. "Unfortunately, the Spanish Tax Office, which loses one out of every two lawsuits with its taxpayers, continues to violate her rights and pursue yet another baseless case," they continued.
As part of her initial defense, the "Waka Waka" hitmaker claimed that she had not officially moved to Spain during that three-year period mentioned by the prosecution, and instead, listed the Bahamas as her official place of residence, which is assumed to have been for tax purposes. In May last year, however, a judge concluded that the prosecutors had gathered enough evidence for her to stand trial, as it was allegedly proven that she was in fact living in Spain with her now ex-boyfriend, Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqué, who is also the father of her two children.
Shakira's PR team in Spain said she immediately repaid the amount she owed once she was alerted, and also paid an additional 3 million euros in interest. According to Spanish newspaper El País, the payments, in addition to the interest, may be considered a mitigating circumstance when it comes to the judge deciding on the length of a *potential* prison sentence.
