Colombian singer Shakira has come to an agreement, with prosecutors on November 20th avoiding a trial by agreeing to pay fines related to her tax fraud case. The renowned 46 year old artist will receive a three year suspended sentence while also paying €7.3 million ($7.98 million) to settle charges of defrauding the state of €14.5 million ($15.7 million) in income earned between 2012 and 2014. Despite denying these allegations Shakira asserted that she only became a full time resident of Spain in 2015.
The case primarily revolved around the amount of time Shakira spent in Spain during those years. Prosecutors argued that she spent than half of that period within the country and should have fulfilled her tax obligations accordingly. However Shakiras legal team countered by stating that until 2014 she led a ” life ” earning most of her income from tours before permanently moving to Barcelona in 2015.
In a statement Shakira expressed her desire to move forward from the stress caused by this battle and focus on her children and career instead. By reaching this settlement she can avoid the toll that would come with a trial process. The singer, who recently announced her separation from FC Barcelona star Gerard Piqué emphasized that true victory for her lies, in reclaiming time for her kids and career aspirations.
The tax evasion investigation involving Shakira has received attention with Spanish prosecutors examining her residency status. They have conducted interviews, with neighbors tracked her activities on media and scrutinized payments made at the places she frequented. Previously concerns about Shakiras affairs were raised in the Pandora Papers leak in October 2021 which exposed details, about her wealth and tax planning associated with a property she owns in the Bahamas.
