Shakira at the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2022 Credit - Christophe Simon—Getty Images
On Tuesday, a judge in Spain ruled that the Colombian singer and global superstar Shakira must stand trial over accusations of tax fraud. This development arrives after the singer and the Spanish government failed to reach an agreement this summer. In July, Shakira issued her first public statement on the matter: “The prosecutor’s office has resorted to wrongful means to apply pressure—just as they do daily and unjustly with thousands of taxpayers for profit.”
What are the charges?
The Spanish government has charged Shakira with defrauding the country of 14.5 million euros in taxes (roughly $13.9 million) between 2012 and 2014. Three separate government entities have accused her of six fiscal crimes. The crux of the argument lies in whether the singer lived in Spain during that time—or technically spent more than 183 days in the country—which would qualify her as a Spanish resident for tax purposes.
Shakira claims, however, that she was a resident of the Bahamas during that time period. She moved to Barcelona in 2015, where she lived with her then-partner Gerard Piqué, an FC Barcelona soccer player, until recently. The Spanish government first made accusations of tax fraud against the musician in 2018.
Technically, the state concluded its investigation in July 2021, but Shakira’s defense filed an appeal to try to stop the trial, which they lost. Had the defense accepted the plea and returned the money—essentially admitting guilt—the prosecution would have significantly reduced or dropped the prison sentence.
If convicted of all charges, the artist would face a jail sentence of eight years and two months as well as a fine of 23.7 million euros. The prosecutors have said that the alleged crimes are especially serious because they claim that Shakira used companies in tax havens to hide her income.
How has Shakira responded?
Shakira flatly denies all allegations of tax fraud. In an interview with Elle magazine last week, the Grammy winner said that she refused to settle with Spanish authorities because she could prove that she was not a resident of the country during that three-year timeframe.