Shakira
Prosecutors are demanding eight years in prison for the singer
Shakira faces imprisonment.
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Prosecutors are asking for eight years and two months in prison for Shakira. The singer is accused of tax evasion in Spain.
Shakira (45) could apparently really face a prison sentence: the public prosecutor is demanding eight years and two months in prison for the Colombian singer, as the Spanish daily newspaper “El País” reports, citing the indictment. Six offenses “against the state treasury” are listed in it, it is said. Shakira is said to have evaded €14.5m by allegedly not paying income and wealth taxes in Spain.
In addition to imprisonment, the public prosecutor’s office is also demanding a fine of 23.7 million euros. She has also requested that Shakira and 37 witnesses be interviewed at the trial, some of them via video link.
Shakira maintains her innocence
Instead of accepting an out-of-court settlement deal, Shakira previously decided to go to court. Shakira is “innocent” and has decided to “put the matter in the hands of the law”, quoted Spanish media as “Marca” from a statement from the pop star’s team. According to media reports, Shakira’s team said the singer has deposited the amount she allegedly owes with the Spanish tax authorities and has no outstanding tax debts.
The public prosecutor’s office is now also acknowledging the compensation for the damage in their indictment: According to “El País”, they see this as a mitigating circumstance that made it possible to reduce the prison sentence. Accordingly, Shakira is said to have provided the court with 17.2 million euros to face possible responsibility.
What happens after the indictment?
Prosecutors presented their indictment on Friday (July 29). Now it’s the turn of the court in Esplugues de Llobregat in the province of Barcelona: According to “El País”, it will issue a decision to open the proceedings in the coming weeks.
The allegations against the singer date back to 2018. At that time, the authorities accused her of not paying 14.5 million euros in taxes on income from the years 2012 to 2014. Now it has to be clarified where the 45-year-old mainly lived during this time. Investigators claim it was in Spain, although Shakira’s official residence at the time was in the Bahamas. The singer denies that, only later did she mainly live in Barcelona.
Spanish tax law states that anyone residing in Spain for at least six months and one day – or 183 days – in any given year must pay taxes there, a Madrid accountant explained to CNN.
Shakira has two children with Barcelona star Gerard Piqué (35). Their first son Milan was born in early 2013, and their second son Sasha followed in early 2015. The artist and the soccer professional ended their relationship in early June 2022 after more than ten years together.