Shakira Charged in Second Tax Evasion Case in Spain

Shakira Charged in Second Tax Evasion Case in Spain for Allegedly Failing to Pay $7.1 Million in 2018

The Colombian singer is already set to stand trial in a $13.9 million tax fraud case for allegedly not paying taxes from 2012 to 2014

Prosecutors in Spain have once again charged Shakira with tax fraud — this time linked to taxes filed on her 2018 income.

In a statement obtained by the Associated Press, Barcelona prosecutors accused the Columbian singer, 46, of failing to pay about $7.1 million (6.7 million euros) in taxes in 2018. They alleged that she avoided paying the taxes by using an offshore company located in a tax haven.

They also noted that Shakira was informed of the charges in her current home city of Miami, according to the AP, who first reported the news.

The new charges come after a Spanish court said in July that it started an investigation linked to alleged fraud on the singer’s personal income tax and wealth tax in 2018. The court said it had no information on how much money was in question at the time, according to the AP.

The court, located in Esplugues de Llobregat near Barcelona, opened a second case as a result of a complaint made by the Barcelona Economic Crimes Prosecutor regarding Shakira allegedly defrauding the tax agency, per a translation from Spanish media outlet El Pais. Another local outlet, El Periodico, reported that the prosecutor’s office filed a complaint for two alleged tax crimes.

In a statement Shakira’s representative toldat the time that she “defends having always acted in accordance with the law and under the advice of the best tax experts. She is now focused on her life as an artist in Miami and is confident that there will be a favorable resolution of her tax issues.”

The “El Jefe” singer, meanwhile, is set to stand trial in a $13.9 million tax evasion case for allegedly not paying taxes from 2012 to 2014. Spanish prosecutors claimed that the star spent a majority of those years residing in Spain with her ex partner and former professional Spanish soccer player, Gerard Piqué, and their two sons, Sasha, 8, and Milan, 10, and was therefore bound by its tax laws.

However, Shakira claimed that she spent most of her time living in her primary residence located in the Bahamas and has denied any wrongdoing in the case. Her public relations firm has also maintained that she paid what she owed plus $3 million in interest, per the AP. 

In documents obtained by both El Periodico and El Pais, the singer’s legal team claimed that she had spent most of her time abroad and made no effort to intentionally hide her income, citing any misunderstandings as “a difference in criteria.”

In May, a court in Spain dismissed her appeal in the case, upholding a 2021 ruling from Spanish Judge Marco Juberías, who determined there was “sufficient evidence of criminality” in the case following a three-year investigation.

Shakira reportedly rejected an offer in the case to settle the dispute out of court in July 2022, according to Reuters. She faces a possible eight-year prison sentence plus a large fine if she is found guilty at her trial, per the AP.

By Kimberlee Speakman

Photo: Getty