Colombian pop star Shakira has settled two tax fraud cases in Spain, paying more than 24 million euros to resolve allegations that spanned from 2012 to 2018.
A Spanish court announced Thursday that it has shelved an investigation into another alleged tax evasion by Colombian pop star Shakira, ending her legal woes in the country where she once lived.
Prosecutors launched the case in July, alleging that she used a network of companies, some of which were based in tax havens, to collect 6.6 million euros (approximately 7.7 million euros) from the tax office in 2018, including interest and adjustments. He was accused of defrauding him of 90 million yen. A month later, the so-called queen of Latin pop paid 6.6 million euros to settle her debts.
But on Wednesday, prosecutors recommended closing the investigation due to “insufficient evidence,” and the court investigating the case agreed.
The court said that the “Hips Don't Lie” singer committed “fraudulent acts” on his 2018 tax return, but that “fraudulent acts alone are not sufficient to constitute a (criminal) violation of the tax authority. No,” he added.
It added that Shakira had no “intention to mislead the tax authorities.”
In a separate case, Shakira reached a last-minute settlement with prosecutors in November on the day her trial began over separate tax evasion charges related to income earned between 2012 and 2014.
Also read: Shakira agrees to settle Spanish tax evasion case
Prosecutors had asked for a prison term of more than eight years for the singer in this case. They accused her of defrauding the tax authorities of 14.5 million euros in a case that focused on her time in Spain.
Shakira denied the charges and said she only moved to Spain full-time in 2015.
By the time the case went to trial, she had already paid €17.45 million to settle unpaid taxes, prosecutors said at the time.
“Emotional sacrifice”
On opening day, the trial, which was scheduled to last three weeks and hear from around 120 witnesses, was brought to a quick conclusion after she agreed to pay a fine of around 7.8 million euros.
At the time, she explained that she settled “with the children's best interests in mind” because she needed to “get over the stress and emotional pain of the past few years” and focus on her career.
Shakira, 47, currently lives in Miami with her two sons after splitting from Barcelona's star defender Gerard Pique.
Also read: Taylor Swift and Shakira shine at the MTV Video Music Awards
He himself was found guilty of tax evasion in 2016 and ordered to pay €2.1 million in fines and arrears. Spain's Supreme Court canceled his conviction in 2021.
Last year, Shakira's superstar Argentinian producer Bizarap won the Latin Grammy for Best Song for a song scathingly criticizing Pique, who retired from soccer, in which she said, They accused Piquet of leaving behind a “debt.'' .
“People on my team tried to convince me to change the lyrics, but I'm not a UN diplomat. I'm an artist and above all a woman,” Shakira told Spanish celebrity magazine Hola! ” said.
Spain has cracked down on celebrities in recent years for failing to pay taxes, including soccer stars such as Argentina's Lionel Messi and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.
Both players were found guilty of escape and given prison sentences, which are exempt for first-time offenders.
– Posted by: © Agence France-Presse