Shakira could be faced with up to eight years in prison and a hefty $24 million fine after Spanish prosecutors have accused her of tax fraud. The Columbian songstress has been battling tax evasion charges after the Spanish government alleged that she failed to pay $14.5 million in taxes between 2012 and 2014. Shakira is currently facing six financial charges after she allegedly listed the Bahamas as her place of residence on her tax documents, when she was actually residing in Spain with her then-boyfriend, soccer star Gerard Pique.
The singer, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, has maintained her innocence while unsuccessfully trying to appeal the charges against her. Shakira is so confident that she did no wrongdoing that she even rejected a plea deal, instead opting to go to trial.
Shakira Rejects Plea Deal In Tax Fraud Case, Prosecutors Seek 8 Years In Prison And $24 Million Fine
Shakira’s PR firm has said that their client ‘trusts her innocence and chooses to leave the issue in the hands of the law’ while representatives for the international star released a statement saying, “Shakira has always cooperated and abided by the law, demonstrating impeccable conduct as an individual and a taxpayer, and faithfully following the counsel of Price Waterhouse Coopers, a prestigious and globally recognized tax firm. Unfortunately, the Spanish Tax Office, which loses one out of every two lawsuits with its taxpayers, continues to violate her rights and pursue yet another baseless case. Shakira is confident that her innocence will be proven by the end of the judicial process”.
According to Shakira’s PR firm, she has already ‘paid what she owed with interest’ once she discovered her debt. But Spanish Judge Marco Juberías believes that a thorough investigation into Shakira’s tax evasion claims showed that there was ‘sufficient evidence of criminality’. Some experts believe this case hinges on the definition of what it means to be a ‘resident’ of a country under. “Is one considered a resident of a country by buying a house in that country even if that person is only there for four days?” asked international tax law attorney Douglas S. Stransky.
“I think in this case it is true that Shakira did spend time in Spain, but the real question is whether she spent enough time there so as to be considered a tax resident of the country.” While Shakira does own homes in Spain, she also owns properties in other parts of the world. The Spanish government insists that the singer had been living in the country for at least half of the time between 2012 and 2014.
Expert attorney Stransky also casts doubt over Spain’s push for a harsh prison sentence, and believes that they are simply trying to intimidate Shakira into settling. “If a mistake was made (about her taxes), her lawyers will fix it, but I’m not sure it’s a criminal matter. Most of the time in cases like this, the government doesn’t go the criminal route,” he said. “My guess is that (Spanish authorities) are trying to pressure her into settling the case by the bad publicity and the threat of jail.”
