According to the prosecutor's office, singer Shakira should be in prison for a long time in the criminal tax lawsuit against her. The prosecution of the Spanish province of Barcelona demanded a total of eight years and two months in prison and a fine of 23.8 million euros for the 45-year-old.
This was reported by the state television station RTVE and other Spanish media on Friday. This claim was served on the competent court in Esplugues de Llobregat near Barcelona, it is said. A judicial spokesman confirmed this information on request.
Shakira only announced on Wednesday that she had rejected an out-of-court settlement with the tax authorities in her adopted country. The musician, who became famous with hits like "Waka Waka" and "Hips Don't Lie", will have to answer in court in the next few months. She is accused of evading a total of around 14.5 million euros between 2012 and 2014.
The artist from Colombia, meanwhile, describes herself as innocent. She dismissed the allegations as a "total violation" of her rights. She is the victim of a "bitter persecution".
A judge had ordered the opening of criminal proceedings last year at the request of the competent public prosecutor's office. In late May, Shakira's lawyers failed in court with a motion to overturn the judge's verdict. In the communiqué, Shakira said she was confident that the judiciary would ultimately agree with her.
The core question is where the Colombian was liable to pay taxes in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The judiciary says: in Spain, because she stayed there for more than half a year in each of the three years. The singer denies that.
Shakira affirms that she was residing in the Bahamas at the time. She only repeatedly visited her partner at the time, football star Gerard Piqué from FC Barcelona, with whom she now has two children and from whom she recently separated. Only from 2015 did she live permanently in Barcelona. In addition, she has since paid all taxes plus interest. In 2018, Shakira transferred a total of 17.2 million euros to the Treasury.
Report RTVE
