Shakira charged with tax evasion again in Spain for allegedly failing to pay over $7 million
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Shakira is once again facing legal trouble in Spain, months after becoming the subject of an investigation into income fraud and wealth tax.
According to an Associated Press report, Spanish prosecutors announced Tuesday that the pop star has been charged with tax evasion after allegedly failing to pay 6.7 million euros ($7.1 million) on her 2018 income. She is alleged to have used an offshore holding company based in another country to avoid paying the Spanish taxes.
Representatives for Shakira did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.
J. Countess/Getty Images Shakira
News of these charges come in the same year that Shakira is set to stand trial for a separate legal case in Spain, where she is accused of failing to pay $15 million in taxes between 2012 and 2014, and faces up to eight years in prison if found guilty. The singer's representatives previously maintained that she is "fully confident of her innocence" and says the case is "a total violation of her rights." She insisted that she paid the tax authorities in the region of $18 million and currently has no outstanding debt.
The case against the singer hinges on her primary residence from 2012 to 2014, which she argues was in the Bahamas. Spanish prosecutors point to the home she purchased in Barcelona in 2012, alleging the Grammy winner spent more than half of the 2012-14 period in Spain and therefore should have paid taxes in the country.
Shakira has disputed the claims and during a 2022 interview with Elle, called out prosecutors for using "a salacious press campaign to try to sway people" and damage her reputation. She also pointed to her relationship with now-retired soccer player Gerard Pique as motivation for the case against her. The duo, who dated from 2011 to 2022, share two children and lived together in Barcelona until last year, when they ended their 11-year relationship.
"While Gerard and I were dating, I was on a world tour," Shakira said. "I spent more than 240 days outside of Spain, so there was no way I qualified as a resident. The Spanish tax authorities saw that I was dating a Spanish citizen and started to salivate. It's clear they wanted to go after that money no matter what."
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