Shakira has yet to be officially notified that a court near Barcelona, Spain, has opened an investigation against her, but the court has confirmed that fact to the media, which is how Shakira found out. What’s the case about? Tax fraud.
In 2018, Shakira and her then partner, Gerard Piqué, were living together in Spain along with Shakira’s two sons. The couple broke up, and Shakira moved to Miami, Florida. Now, the court in Spain is claiming that Shakira knowingly avoided paying all of the taxes she should have paid back in 2018.
According to a spokesperson for Shakira, she “had not received any formal notification of the Prosecutor’s complaint.” In addition, her legal team, “will not make any comments until the notification reaches them through the official and legally established channels.” The spokesperson added, “She must be notified personally at her new address, in strict accordance with the provisions of the Law.”
While her legal team isn’t commenting on the case yet, the spokesperson stated that Shakira insists she is innocent. The statement continues, “Shakira defends having always acted in accordance with the law and under the advice of the best tax experts. She is now focused on her life as an artist in Miami and is confident that there will be a favorable resolution of her tax issues.”
This is not the first time Shakira has been accused of tax fraud in Spain. There is already another case open against her for the tax years 2012, 2013 and 2014. In that case, Shakira claims that her primary residence was in the Bahamas, but the Spanish court claims she spent more than half of each of those years living in Spain.
Watch the video below to learn more about the tax fraud cases against Shakira.
Shakira is not the only celebrity to face tax fraud charges in Spain. The country found soccer stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo guilty of tax fraud. In both cases, the judge waived their prison sentences.
Do you think Shakira will be found guilty?
