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Pop star Shakira is once again in hot water over her financial affairs after being charged with tax evasion for the second time.
Spanish prosecutors have charged the Colombian singer with failing to pay €6,7 million (R127 million) in tax on her 2018 income.
In a statement shared by the Barcelona prosecutors, Shakira (46) is alleged to have used an offshore company based in a tax haven to avoid paying the tax.
Apparently she has been notified of the charges in Miami, where she lives.
The case against Shakira was opened in July 2023. The prosecutors decided to bring the charges after reviewing evidence gathered over the past couple of months.
The Barcelona court opened the case because of a complaint made by the Barcelona Economic Crimes Prosecutor regarding Shakira's alleged defrauding of the tax agency, according to People.
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The public relations firm that previously handled Shakira’s affairs, Llorente & Cuenca, made no immediate comment.
This is not the singer’s first brush with the tax authorities. Shakira is already due to appear in court on 20 November for a separate issue.
This case is linked to where she lived between 2012-2014, where the prosecutors claimed she lived in Spain and should therefore pay tax. The prosecutors allege she failed to pay €14,5 million (around R275,5 million) in tax.
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According to The Guardian, Shakira moved to Barcelona in 2015, where she lived with her former partner, Gerard Piqué.
However, according to prosecutors, Shakira was already living in Spain before 2015, and she should have paid her taxes on her worldwide income for that year. Under Spanish law, people who spend more than six months in the country are considered residents for tax purposes.
In an interview with Elle magazine, Shakira claimed that authorities only came after her “with their eyes on the prize” when they found out she was dating Gerard Piqué, who is Spanish.
"While Gerard and I were dating, I was on a world tour. I spent more than 240 days outside of Spain, so there was no way I qualified as a resident," she said.
"The Spanish tax authorities saw that I was dating a Spanish citizen and started to salivate. It's clear they wanted to go after that money, no matter what."
Shakira added that she had already paid what the Spanish tax office said she owed before they filed a lawsuit.
Back in May, Shakira lost an appeal for the case to be dismissed, with a Spanish judge citing "sufficient evidence" for the pop star to face trial.
The superstar isn’t the only celebrity to face tax fraud charges over the past few years.
Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo signed a deal with a Spanish court in 2019 over claims that he had created shell companies to hide income earned from his image rights.
He avoided jail time but got a $29,9 million (around R538 million) fine and a suspended jail sentence.
In 2017, soccer star Lionel Messi got caught up in tax fraud charges over concealing earnings from the sale of his image rights.
He was originally given a 21-month jail sentence and a $3 million (around R54 million) fine but was given the option by a Spanish court to waive the jail time by paying an extra $378 000 (R6,8 million) fine.
In Spain, prison sentences under two years for first-time offenders can be waived by a judge.
SOURCES: TODAY.COM, PEOPLE.COM, APNEWS.COM, HOLA.COM, ABC.NET.AU, STEREOGUM.COM
