Shakira will go to trial in Spain accused of tax evasion

A court in Barcelona, ​​Spain, ordered this Tuesday that the Colombian singer Shakira go to trial for not paying taxes for an amount close to US$13 million.

Prosecutors have asked for an eight-year prison sentence and a $22 million fine if she is found guilty.

Since the accusations were made known, Shakira, 45,has denied having committed a crime against the Spanish treasury.

“I am confident that I have sufficient evidence to support my case and that justice will prevail in my favor“He recently said in an interview with Elle magazine.

The singer’s lawyers also said in a statement that “they will present the arguments against the accusation at the appropriate time.”

In fact, the singer had rejected a settlement offered by prosecutors and preferred to face trial in this case.

The axis of the accusation, according to what was disclosed by the prosecution, is the status of residence of the singer between 2012 and 2014, in which the prosecutors indicate that she was living in Spain, but had declared that her official residence he was out of the country.

Under Spanish law, the person who spends more than six months in the country is considered a resident for tax purposes. However, Shakira points out that Spain was not the place where she spent most of her time during those years.

In July, prosecutors released a document stating that she bought a house in Barcelona in 2012, which became a family home for her and her then-partner, FC Barcelona defender Gerard Pique.

But her lawyers point out that until 2014 most of the singer’s income came from international tours and spent a lot of time outside of Spain.

“Spanish Treasury saw that I was dating a Spanish citizen and began to salivate. It’s clear they wanted to go after that money no matter what.Shakira told Elle magazine.

She declared Spain as her place of residence for tax purposes in 2015, noting that she has paid $16 million in taxes and has no outstanding debts.

In a separate case in 2019, the Spanish national court fined pique with $2 million for evading taxes between 2008 and 2010.

The couple announced in early June that they had separated after 11 years together. They have two children together, ages seven and nine.

His intervention in Elle was the first time he spoke publicly about his separation and told the magazine what’s going on”probably one of the darkest and most difficult hours of my life.

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