Shakira to pay 7 million euros to settle Spain tax fraud case: court
- Shakira confirmed her acknowledgement of six counts of failing to pay the Spanish government 14.5 million euros (about $15.8 million) in taxes between 2012 and 2014
Global pop star Shakira has reached a deal with Spanish authorities on the first day of a tax fraud trial in Barcelona on Monday.
Shakira told the court that she has accepted the agreement with prosecutors. She confirmed her acknowledgement of six counts of failing to pay the Spanish government 14.5 million euros (about $15.8 million) in taxes between 2012 and 2014.
Prosecutors had alleged that Shakira had spent more than half of that period in Spain and therefore she should have paid taxes on her worldwide income in the country even though her official residence was still in the Bahamas.
As per the agreement, Shakira is to receive a suspended 3-year jail term and a fine of 7 million euros ($7.6 million).
In July, prosecutors had said that they would seek a prison sentence of eight years and two months and a fine of 24 million euros ($26 million) for the singer.
“This has been a difficult decision that took time to reach, a tough decision that is motivated by her desire to focus on raising of her children and her professional career,” defense lawyer Miriam Company said. “Her legal team had prepared the trial and were convinced we could demonstrate her innocence, but the circumstances changed and (Shakira) opted to accept the deal.”
In July 2022, Shakira turned down a deal offered to her by the prosecutors to settle her case.
She had said that she “believes in her innocence and chooses to leave the issue in the hands of the law.”
Previously, Shakira had said that she had already paid all that she owed and an additional 3 million euros (about $3.2 million) in interest.
In a separate case, Spanish state prosecutors had charged Shakira in September with alleged evasion of 6.7 million euros in tax on her 2018 income.
(With inputs from agencies)
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First Published:20 Nov 2023, 04:54 PM IST
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