Photo Credit: Jakob Polacsek / CC by 2.0
Spanish prosecutors say they will seek an 8-year sentence in the Shakira tax evasion case.
Shakira faces charges of failing to pay the Spanish government more than $15 million in taxes from 2012 to 2014. Prosecutors are also seeking a fine of $24 million from the Colombian singer after she rejected a settlement deal earlier this week.
The singer’s publicist issued a statement earlier this month saying she has “always cooperated and abided by the law, demonstrating impeccable conduct as an individual and a taxpayer.” Her publicists accuse the Spanish Tax Agency of violating her rights. Meanwhile, her Spanish public relations team has said the artist has deposited the amount she is said to owe, including three million euros in interest.
Prosecutors have argued that the singer spent more than half of each year in 2012, 2013, and 2014 in Spain. That means the singer should have paid taxes to the Spanish government for residing in the country. The singer recently ended her 11-year relationship with FC Barcelona player Gerard Piqué, with whom she has two children. Shakira bought a house in May 2012 that became the home for her and her partner.
“We regret to confirm that we are separating,” the couple said in a statement released on Wednesday. “For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect our privacy. Thank you for understanding.”
Shakira met the footballer on the set of her music video for “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” which was the official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Spanish news outlet Periodico reported that Piqué moved out of the family home earlier this year.
No trial date for the Shakira tax evasion case has been set yet. The tax fraud charges themselves stem from 2018, so this is an ongoing case that has haunted the singer for a few years now. Shakira’s now ex faced a two million euro fine in 2019 for evading taxes between 2008 and 2010.