Shakira Could Face 8-Years Prison Sentence And $23M Fine In Spanish Tax Evasion Case

Singer Shakira is facing criminal charges of tax evasion as a Spanish prosecutor is set to seek a maximum of 8 years in prison and a $23 million fine, according to documents seen by Reuters.

The Grammy winner is accused of not paying nearly $15 million in taxes from years 2012 to 2014. Meanwhile, the singer says she has already paid $17.5 million to the Spanish tax office to settle her obligation.

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Yet in July of last year, a judge ruled that there was enough “evidence of criminality” for the singer, who is the star and EP of NBC’s Dancing With Myself reality competition, to be tried.

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Even though Shakira is Columbian, the prosecutor’s office alleges she was “ordinarily resident in Spain between 2012 and 2014 and in May 2012 bought a house in Barcelona.”

That home, officials contend, was for not just the singer, but husband Gerard Pique, who plays for FC Barcelona, and their son, who was born in Spain in 2013. The duo announced they were separating last month.

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A statement from the superstar’s representatives to the BBC contends she is “fully confident of her innocence” and views the case as a “violation of her rights.” She reportedly recently rejected a settlement offer from prosecutors.

Date for the trial is yet to be set. 

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