A Spanish prosecutor is reportedly set to seek a maximum of 8 years in prison and a $23 million fine against superstar singer Shakira for tax evasion, according to documents seen by Reuters.
The three-time Grammy winner is accused of not paying nearly $15 million taxes from 2012-2014. The superstar says she has already paid about $17.5 million to the Spanish tax office to settle her obligation. Yet in July of last year, a judge ruled that there was enough “evidence of criminality” for the singer, who is the star and EP of NBC’s Dancing With Myself reality competition, to be tried.
While Shakira is Columbian, the prosecutor’s office alleges she was “ordinarily resident in Spain between 2012 and 2014 and in May 2012 bought a house in Barcelona.” That home, officials contend, was for not just the singer, but husband Gerard Pique, who plays for FC Barcelona, and their son, who was born in Spain in 2013. The duo announced they were separating last month.
A statement from the superstar’s representatives to the BBC contends she is “fully confident of her innocence” and views the case as a “violation of her rights.” She reportedly recently rejected a settlement offer from prosecutors.
No date has yet been set for a trial.
