Colombian Pop Star, Shakira To Go On Trial In Spain For Alleged £5.8 million Tax Fraud

Colombian music star, Shakira has been hit with another tax fraud case after allegedly failing to pay 6.7 million euros (£5.8 million) in tax on her income in 2018, authorities said.

Shakira is expected to stand trial beginning November 20 to defend herself against all tax evasion claims Spanish authorities have made against her.

Spanish prosecutors accused Shakira of tax evasion in December 2018, claiming the global superstar failed to pay more than 14.5 million euros, approximately $14.4 million — for the years 2012 to 2014.

The lawsuit filed against the singer alleges that she listed the Bahamas as her primary residence for those three years, according to the Associated Press.

Spanish tax authorities, however, claim she primarily lived in Spain during that time with her then-boyfriend, Gerard Piqué, and their family, only traveling abroad for short periods due to professional commitments.

“The general rule in Spain is, for each year, if you reside, if you’re domiciled in Spain, you owe taxes,” trial attorney Jesse Bolling, who is not involved in the tax case, told “Good Morning America” in July 2022.

“Domiciled is defined, for the most part, as being there for more than half the year. You’re supposed to keep a diary or a calendar of where you are on every day.”

“She just needs to prove she wasn’t there, and the Spanish tax authority will try to rebut that,” Bolling continued.

Prosecutors are seeking a jail term of eight years and two months, and a fine of nearly 24 million euros ($40 million dollars) for the 46-year-old singer, who now lives in Miami with her two sons Milan and Sasha.
She has denied any wrongdoing and turned down a plea deal with prosecutors, paving the way for the trial which is set to get underway on Monday morning in Barcelona.

The case centres on where the singer, whose hit singles include Hips Don’t Lie, Whenever, Wherever and the 2010 World Cup song Waka Waka, lived between 2012 and 2014.
The high-profile trial is expected to hear from nearly 120 witnesses and to run until December 14.