Entertainment
Shakira to face trial over ‘£13,000,000 tax evasion in Spain’
Shakira may face trial in Spain (Picture: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
Shakira may face trial in Spain for allegedly evading €14.5million (£13m) in tax.
A judge has ruled that there are ‘sufficient indications’ for the Colombian popstar to go to trial, after being accused of six offences by Spanish prosecutors.
Should she be found guilty, the star could face jail time.
Prosecutors claim that the 44-year-old stopped paying taxes in Spain in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and used shell companies to conceal control of assets between 2012 and 2014, with her name only appearing on forms in countries considered tax havens.
The Hips Don’t Lie singer, full name Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, claims that between 2012 and 2014, her fiscal residence was in the Bahamas, and as such, she should not have had to pay Spanish income tax – known as IRPF.
She claims that her presence in Spain during these three years was ‘sporadic’, and that she was residing in the Bahamas.
However, prosecutors allege that to all intents and purposes, Shakira was living in Barcelona after starting a relationship with Gerard Piqué.
Shakira began dating Pique in 2011 (Picture: David Ramos/Getty Images)
They claim that while Shakira travelled across the world at this time due to work commitments, the absences were ‘sporadic’, and that she should have been considered a resident of Spain because she spent more than the stipulated six months plus one day to be classified as such.
It is argued that Shakira should have paid personal income tax and corporation tax on her worldwide income in Spain for 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Shakira’s team have argued that the star did not live more than six months a year in Spain, and was therefore not a resident under tax law.
The She Wolf singer is believed to be planning on presenting an appeal to the Barcelona court against the judgement.
Shakira has denied the allegations (Picture: OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images)
Back in 2019, Shakira appeared in court to ‘help clarify the facts over her tax situation in Spain’, with reps saying she had settled her €14.5m debt with tax authorities.
A statement released at the time said that the popstar had always met her tax obligations in every country where she had worked and did not own taxes to the Spanish state, saying: ‘As soon as she learned how much she owed the Spanish tax authorities – and before a complaint was filed – Shakira paid the full amount, as well as providing the tax office with exhaustive information. For this reason, there is currently no debt whatsoever.’
More: Shakira
Shakira has been in a relationship with Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué since 2011, and the couple share two sons, Milan, eight, and Sasha, six.
The Latin music superstar has been in the music industry since she was 13, and achieved global success in 2011 with her album Laundry Service.
Selling over 75 million records, Shakira – who was previously a judge on The Voice – is one of the world’s biggest selling artists.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Shakira’s rep for comment.
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