Shakira In Trouble? Spanish Prosecutor Calls For A Eight-Year Prison Sentence
A Spanish prosecutor is seeking an eight years prison term for Colombian superstar Shakira over a 14.5 million-euro tax fraud case.
The prosecutor's office and Shakira's representatives were not immediately available for comment.
This week, the pop star pleaded not guilty and rejected a plea deal from the prosecutor's office to close the case. Shakira is charged with defrauding the Spanish treasury out of millions over a three-year period between 2012 and 2014. State prosecutors also want a USD 23,5 million fine for Shakira.
According to lawyers, the possibility of reaching an agreement remains valid until the beginning of the trial in Barcelona. So far, no official decision has been made to prosecute the 45-year-old star.
"Absolutely sure of her innocence, Shakira does not accept an agreement with the prosecution and decides to continue the procedure until the trial," the singer's lawyers said in a statement on Wednesday. They also say that Shakira is "confident that justice will give her justice".
Shakira Accuses A "Total Violation Of Her Rights"
The Colombian singer denounced, in the same statement, a "complete violation of her rights" and "abusive methods" by the prosecutors and say they were "insisting on claiming money earned during my international tours and the show The Voice on which she was a judge in the United States when she was 'not yet resident in Spain'."
Shakira's defense team argues she moved to Spain "full-time" only in 2015 and has met all tax obligations. Shakira claims that she has already paid 17.2 million euros to the Spanish tax authorities and that, therefore, she has no debt to the Tax Office.
The Accusations Shakira Faces
The prosecution accuses the Latino Diva of tax evasion of 14.5 million euros for the years 2012, 2013, and 2014. Prosecutors say Shakira moved to Spain in 2011 when her relationship with FC Barcelona footballer Gerard Pique became public but maintained official tax residency in the Bahamas - considered a tax haven - until 2015.
Prosecutor says Shakira of pretending to live abroad to avoid paying taxes despite moving to Barcelona in 2011 to be with her ex, Gerard Pique.
The couple first met in 2010 during the filming of her music video for the World Cup song Waka Waka. This year, at the beginning of June, Shakira and Gerard Pique, who have two children, announced their separation, after an 11-year relationship.
Shakira's name was among those mentioned in the Pandora Papers case, a vast investigation published at the end of 2021 by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which accuses several hundred personalities of hiding assets in offshore havens, mainly for the purpose of "tax evasion".
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The prosecutor's office and Shakira's representatives were not immediately available for comment.
This week, the pop star pleaded not guilty and rejected a plea deal from the prosecutor's office to close the case. Shakira is charged with defrauding the Spanish treasury out of millions over a three-year period between 2012 and 2014. State prosecutors also want a USD 23,5 million fine for Shakira.
According to lawyers, the possibility of reaching an agreement remains valid until the beginning of the trial in Barcelona. So far, no official decision has been made to prosecute the 45-year-old star.
"Absolutely sure of her innocence, Shakira does not accept an agreement with the prosecution and decides to continue the procedure until the trial," the singer's lawyers said in a statement on Wednesday. They also say that Shakira is "confident that justice will give her justice".
Shakira Accuses A "Total Violation Of Her Rights"
The Colombian singer denounced, in the same statement, a "complete violation of her rights" and "abusive methods" by the prosecutors and say they were "insisting on claiming money earned during my international tours and the show The Voice on which she was a judge in the United States when she was 'not yet resident in Spain'."
Shakira's defense team argues she moved to Spain "full-time" only in 2015 and has met all tax obligations. Shakira claims that she has already paid 17.2 million euros to the Spanish tax authorities and that, therefore, she has no debt to the Tax Office.
The Accusations Shakira Faces
The prosecution accuses the Latino Diva of tax evasion of 14.5 million euros for the years 2012, 2013, and 2014. Prosecutors say Shakira moved to Spain in 2011 when her relationship with FC Barcelona footballer Gerard Pique became public but maintained official tax residency in the Bahamas - considered a tax haven - until 2015.
Prosecutor says Shakira of pretending to live abroad to avoid paying taxes despite moving to Barcelona in 2011 to be with her ex, Gerard Pique.
The couple first met in 2010 during the filming of her music video for the World Cup song Waka Waka. This year, at the beginning of June, Shakira and Gerard Pique, who have two children, announced their separation, after an 11-year relationship.
Shakira's name was among those mentioned in the Pandora Papers case, a vast investigation published at the end of 2021 by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which accuses several hundred personalities of hiding assets in offshore havens, mainly for the purpose of "tax evasion".
