A Spanish court has announced a new investigation into the alleged income tax fraud of popular Colombian singer Shakira. Already slated to stand trial later this year for purportedly evading 14.5 million euros (Ksh.2.3 billion) in taxes on earnings from 2012 to 2014, the 46-year-old “Hips Don’t Lie” artist is now under scrutiny for two potential cases of tax fraud in 2018. The court, located in the northeastern town of Esplugues de Llobregat near Barcelona, has agreed to explore these matters in collaboration with prosecutors, though further details were not disclosed in the court’s statement.
Shakira, who currently resides in Miami, has consistently denied any wrongdoing and maintains that she owes nothing to the Spanish tax authorities. Her representatives revealed that she was not officially notified of the new investigation and learned about it through the media. They asserted that she has always acted in accordance with the law, seeking advice from reputable tax experts. The singer is currently focused on her artistic pursuits in Miami and remains confident that her tax affairs will ultimately be resolved in her favor.
The initial tax evasion case, for which prosecutors have requested an eight-year prison sentence and a fine of 24 million euros (about Ksh.3.8 billion), centers on the issue of where Shakira resided between 2012 and 2014. Prosecutors claim that she spent the majority of that period in Spain and should have fulfilled her tax obligations in the country. However, her legal team argues that she primarily earned her income from international tours until 2014 and only became a full-time resident of Spain in 2015, diligently meeting all her tax responsibilities.
Shakira had been living with her partner, FC Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, in Barcelona until last year when they ended their 11-year relationship. In April, the singer announced that she and her children were officially leaving Barcelona to seek stability elsewhere.
The “Pandora Papers,” a massive leak of financial documents in October 2021, implicated Shakira as a public figure connected to offshore assets. Despite the accusations and the past crackdown on tax issues involving football stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in Spain, Shakira’s representatives maintain her innocence and are optimistic that her tax matters will be resolved favorably.
