The Colombian pop star Shakira will have to stand trial in Spain over allegations that she evaded 14.5 million euros ($13.9 million) in taxes between 2012 and 2014, a Spanish judge ruled on Tuesday. The decision came after the singer and the Spanish authorities failed to reach a settlement agreement this summer.
Shakira, who is one of the world’s best-selling artists, is accused of six fiscal crimes by three different government entities. The main issue is whether she was a resident of Spain during the period in question, which would oblige her to pay taxes on her worldwide income. According to Spanish law, anyone who spends more than 183 days in a year in the country is considered a tax resident.
However, Shakira claims that she was living in the Bahamas at the time, and only moved to Barcelona in 2015, where she lived with her former partner Gerard Piqué, a soccer player for FC Barcelona. The Spanish government first filed a complaint against the singer in 2018, after an investigation that began in 2016.
Shakira’s defense team tried to stop the trial by filing an appeal, but it was rejected by the judge. They argued that the singer had already paid the amount that the authorities claimed she owed, plus interest, before the lawsuit was filed. They also said that she followed the advice of one of the world’s leading tax firms, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and that she acted in good faith and transparency.
If found guilty of all charges, Shakira could face a prison sentence of up to eight years and two months, as well as a fine of 23.7 million euros. The prosecutors have said that the alleged crimes are very serious, because they involve the use of companies in tax havens to conceal her income.
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Shakira has strongly denied any wrongdoing, and said that she is the victim of a “wrongful” and “salacious” campaign by the Spanish tax authorities. In an interview with Elle magazine last week, the Grammy winner said that she refused to settle with the government because she had enough proof to support her case.
“I have to fight for what I believe; because these are false accusations,” Shakira told Elle. “First of all, I didn’t spend 183 days per year at that time at all. I was busy fulfilling my professional commitments around the world.”
“Second, I’ve paid everything they claimed I owed, even before they filed a lawsuit,” she continued. “So as of today, I owe zero to them. And finally, I was advised by one of the four biggest tax specialist firms in the world, PricewaterhouseCoopers, so I was confident that I was doing things correctly and transparently from day one.”
The singer also said that the prosecutors had tried to influence public opinion by leaking information to the media, and that they knew that damaging her reputation might force her to accept a deal.
“It is well known that the Spanish tax authorities do this often not only with celebrities like me (Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, [Xabi] Alonso, and many more), it also happens unjustly to the regular taxpayer,” she said. “But I’m confident that I have enough proof to support my case and that justice will prevail in my favor.”
The trial date has not been set yet, but it is expected to take place next year. Shakira is not the first celebrity to face tax troubles in Spain, as other famous figures such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Plácido Domingo have also been accused of tax evasion in recent years. Some of them have reached agreements with the authorities, while others have been cleared of the charges.