Shakira Might Face Prison Time for Alleged Tax Evasion
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Dancing With Myself creator and judge Shakira may be facing jail time for alleged tax evasion in Spain. Here’s everything we know about the situation.
Shakira Might Do Jail Time for Tax Evasion
Shakira has found herself in a bit of a tough situation as of late. For those who may not know, prosecutors are accusing Shakira of defrauding the Spanish tax office out of 14.5 million euros ($14.7 millon) on income earned between 2012 and 2014. They claim that she spent more than half of each year in Spain and didn’t properly file taxes.
Prosecutors offered a plea to the singer earlier this week, but she rejected it, stating that she was “absolutely certain of her innocence.” They will now be bringing the case to court in the near future. At this time, a trial date has yet to be set. Now, the prosecutors are demanding a fine of 24 million euros ($24 million).
Since rejecting the plea, prosecutors have continued to pile on punishment for Shakira. Now, they’ve said that they would ask a court to sentence the pop star to eight years and two months in prison if convicted. Following their conviction threat, Shakira’s publicists stated that she “has always cooperated and abided by the law, demonstrating impeccable conduct as an individual and a taxpayer.”
In turn, they’re accusing the Spanish Tax Agency of taking advantage of her. Earlier this week, the singer’s public relations team revealed that she deposited the amount she is said to owe (including three million euros in interest).
Why Is The Government Accusing Shakira of Owing Money?
A lot of this has to do with when Shakira moved to Spain, and whether she filed her taxes with her boyfriend of 11 years Gerard Piqué. Since the couple reportedly owned a home together in Barcelona, it could make sense for them to have some type of partnership qualification to file a joint tax return. To clarify, even though Shakira and Pique were dating for 11 years, they most likely did not file a joint return.
Prosecutors aren’t specifically looking at her home with Piqué at this time. Instead, they’re more concerned about when she moved to Spain.
According to prosecutors, Shakira moved to Spain in 2011, when her relationship with Piqué became public. At the time, she chose to maintain official tax residency in the Bahamas until 2015. Shakira claims that prosecutors were “insisting on claiming money earned during my international tours and the show The Voice.” The singer acknowledges that she was “not yet a resident” while coaching on The Voice in America.
Her lawyers insist that she earned most of her money from touring internationally until 2014. After earning money through touring, she moved to Spain full time in 2015 and met all tax obligations. Shakira has allegedly paid 17.2 million euros to the Spanish tax authorities and she is not currently in debt.
This ongoing tax argument has been going on for quite some time now. Reports state that the singer brought this case to a Barcelona court in May of this year. At the time, the singer’s appeal to drop the charges were dismissed.
