Shakira Has Been Charged in Another Tax Evasion Case in Spain
Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for MTV Reading Time: 2 minutes
Former The Voice coach Shakira has been charged in a second tax evasion case in Spain, this time related to taxes owed on her 2018 income. The singer has been accused of failing to pay $7.1 million.
Shakira Charged in Second Tax Evasion Case
According to the Associated Press, prosecutors in Spain have charged Shakira with failing to pay 6.7 million euros, or $7.1 million, in taxes on her 2018 income. The singer allegedly avoided paying the taxes by using an offshore company based in a tax haven.
In a statement, Barcelona prosecutors shared that Shakira has been notified of the charges in her current home of Miami. This is the singer’s second tax evasion case, as she’s due to be tried later this year for allegedly failing to pay 14.5 million euros, or $15.4 million, in taxes.
According to prosecutors, Shakira spent more than half her time from 2012 to 2014 in Spain, despite her official residence being in the Bahamas. They argue that she should have paid taxes in Spain. A trial for this case is scheduled for November 20.
In July, Shakira’s PR firm said that the singer had “always acted in concordance with the law and on the advice of her financial advisers.”
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The Singer Says ‘I Owe Zero’ to Spanish Government
Last year, Shakira spoke out about the first tax evasion case, denying that she spent as much time in Spain between 2012 and 2014 as prosecutors are claiming. The singer added, “I was busy fulfilling my professional commitments around the world.”
She also argued that she “paid everything they claimed I owed, even before they filed a lawsuit.” The singer said that “as of today, I owe zero to them.” She even claimed that the Spanish government “salivated” over her relationship with Spanish citizen Gerard Piqué.
Shakira seemingly referred to the case in her infamous song “BZRP Music Sessions #53,” singing that her ex left her “in debt with the government.”
