On Tuesday, a Spanish court told Shakira that she must stand trial for tax fraud. If found guilty, she could face up to 8 years in prison.
Shakira, 45, is accused of defrauding the Spanish government of $15 million in taxes from 2012 to 2014. The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer says she only lived in Spain for less than half of each of these years.
Now a judge in Barcelona has told her to come to court, but no trial date has been set. The megastar rejected a plea deal earlier this year, which means he could face 8 years and 2 months in prison and a fine of 24 million euros if found guilty.
In a statement, people working for Shakira said they were confident in her case.
“Shakira has always cooperated and complied with the law, demonstrating impeccable conduct as an individual and taxpayer and faithfully following the advice of PriceWaterhouse Coopers, a prestigious and globally recognized tax firm,” the representative said.
“Unfortunately, the Spanish tax office, which loses one out of every two court cases with its taxpayers, continues to violate their rights and bring another baseless case. Shakira is confident that her innocence will be proven by the end of the legal process,” the statement continued.
The alleged cheating happened during her 11-year relationship with Gerard Pique, a professional footballer for Barcelona.
Although no longer together, the couple have shared custody of their two children since June. Shakira is from Colombia and she has already given the Spanish government the $15 million she owes them.
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Shakira, 45, is accused of defrauding the Spanish government of €14.5 million ($15 million) in taxes between 2012 and 2014. The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer claims she spent less than half of each of these years in Spain.
A judge in Barcelona has already ordered her to appear in court, although a trial date has not been set.
The megastar rejected a plea deal in the case earlier this year, opening her up to a potential sentence of eight years and two months in prison and a $24 million fine if convicted.