Shakira tax fraud case: Spanish court orders pop star to face trial
Premium- The 45 year-old singer has been accused of defrauding the Spanish tax office of 14.5 million euros on income earned between 2012 and 2014
A Spanish court has ordered Colombian pop star Shakira to face trial in a tax fraud case at a date yet to be determined, according to reports.
The 45 year-old singer has been accused of defrauding the Spanish tax office of 14.5 million euros ($14.7 million) on income earned between 2012 and 2014. The prosecutors are seeking an eight-year prison term and hefty fine if the singer is found guilty of tax fraud.
The pop star has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and rejected a deal with authorities to avoid facing trial.
On 19 September, a Barcelona court ordered the singer to stand trial for six tax crimes, according to a court ruling made public on Tuesday.
Shakira had moved to to Spain in 2011 when her relationship with FC Barcelona defender Gerard Pique became public, however marinated an official tax residency in the Bahamas until 2015. The couple, who have two children together, announced their separation in June, this year.
Her lawyers have said that until 2014 she earned most of her money from international tours, moved to Spain full time in 2015 and has met all her tax obligations. She has paid 17.2 million euros to Spanish tax authorities and has no outstanding debts, the star claims.
In an interview last week, Shakira said she was confident she had behaved correctly and did not owe the Spanish tax office anything.
"These accusations are false," she said.
A Barcelona court in May dismissed an appeal from the singer to drop the charges.
In recent years, Spain has cracked down on stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for not paying their full due in taxes. They were found guilty of evasion but both avoided prison time.
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