Shakira She has reached a settlement in her tax fraud case in Spain, before going to trial on 20 November. The ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ hitmaker, 46, agreed to a three-year suspended prison sentence and a €7 million fine. Fine ($8 million USD). She will also pay 432,000 euros ($472,000) for her suspended sentence, according to the British Daily Mail. Associated Press.
Shakira faced tax fraud charges that could have led to prison time. In 2022, Shakira was accused of failing to pay taxes worth €14.5 million ($15 million) while living in Spain from 2012 to 2014. On September 26, Shakira was charged in a second tax fraud case, which she claims failed. to pay €6.7 million ($7.1 million) in taxable income as of 2018. Shakira’s rep previously said Reuters She is “absolutely confident of her innocence” amid her legal troubles. It is not clear whether the current settlement will have an impact on the second set of fees.
Before the settlement, Shakira denied not paying taxes in Spain between 2012 and 2014. She was initially accused of failing to pay taxes worth about $14 million (14.5 million euros) in 2018, and now prosecutors are taking the “wacka-wacka” charge. Singer on trial Throughout the proceedings, Shakira continued to claim she was innocent, even rejecting a plea deal, where she would have avoided prison time. Its PR firm said it had already paid taxes and interest worth 3 million euros ($2.8 million) in a statement to Associated Press.
Shakira also called the accusations “false accusations” and said going to trial was “a matter of principle” in an interview with deer. She also denied being in Spain for the 183 days required to pay taxes. “I paid everything they claimed I owed, even before they filed suit. As of today, I don’t owe them anything,” she told the magazine. “I am confident that I have enough evidence to support my case and that justice will prevail in my favor.”
As the singer prepares to head to trial, find out everything you need to know about the cases here.
Charges against Shakira
As mentioned, there are two separate tax fraud cases against Shakira. In the case of the first trial, the court is located in a town near Barcelona, and six counts of tax fraud were brought against Shakira for the period between 2012 and 2014. The law stipulates that residents who live in each country for 183 days or more (or at least six months) of the year must pay taxes, but the “She Wolf” singer claimed she did not qualify for the period of time the government claims she was living there. She has claimed that her official residence was in the Bahamas at the time NBC News.
Besides claiming that Spain was not her official residence, Shakira also claimed that she was too busy traveling around the world for shows and other commitments during that period of time in the aforementioned period. deer interview. She has claimed that her previous relationship was with the footballer Gerrard Pique, With whom she broke up in June 2022, he made her a target of the government. “I didn’t spend 183 days a year at that time at all. I was busy fulfilling my professional commitments around the world. “While Gerard and I were dating, I was on a world tour. I had spent more than 240 days outside of Spain, so I could not have qualified as a resident. “The Spanish tax authorities saw that I was dating a Spanish citizen and started salivating.”
In July 2023, Shakira became under investigation for tax fraud in a second case in Spain. Her lawyers said at the time that they had not received notice of the investigation and learned about it from the news. They said the singer would need to be notified at her home in Miami. They added in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the singer’s legal team will not make any comment until notification reaches her through official and legal channels.” Reuters. “As she has stated on numerous occasions, Shakira maintains that she has always acted in accordance with the law and under the advice of the best tax experts. She is now focusing on her artistic career in Miami and is calm and confident that her tax affairs will be resolved favorably.
The second tax fraud case was filed against Shakira on September 27, 2023. She was accused of allegedly not paying €6.7 million ($7.1 million) in taxable income as of 2018. Spanish prosecutors also accused Shakira of allegedly using an offshore company to “avoid” paying the tax. No official date has been set for the trial of the second set of charges against Shakira
Possible prison time for Shakira
Shakira could have faced serious consequences for tax fraud if found guilty. She could have been sentenced to up to 8 years in prison and fined 23 million euros ($23.5 million) if the court had ruled against her in the first case. The trial was scheduled to begin on November 20, but reached a settlement.
Shakira was given the option of taking a plea deal, as she would have avoided prison time if she had taken it. Although she was given the option, her representatives said that she was “fully confident of her innocence” when she rejected the deal, in a statement issued at the time. Shakira accused the government of engaging in a “vulgar press campaign” to try to “force settlement agreements” on taxpayers. She likened her situation to other stars who have faced tax problems, e.g Cristiano Ronaldo.
Shakira settlement
As mentioned above, Shakira agreed to a lower fine and a suspended sentence in this case. The “She Wolf” singer revealed that she agreed to the settlement for the benefit of her children. “I have made the decision to finally resolve this matter with the best interest of my children who do not want to see their mother sacrifice her personal safety in this fight,” she said in a statement. “I need to move past the stress and emotional loss of the past several years and focus on the things I love, my children, and all the opportunities I have in my career.”