Colombian singer, Shakira, has been ordered by a court in Barcelona to stand trial for alleged tax fraud.
The trial, which will determine whether or not the star committed tax crimes amounting to €14.5m ($17m), is scheduled to begin at an undisclosed date.
Spanish prosecutors are seeking a jail sentence of eight years and a fine of €23.8m in the event of a guilty verdict.
In response to the allegations, Shakira has maintained her innocence and stated in an interview with the Spanish edition of Elle magazine, “I am confident that I have enough proof to support my case and that justice will prevail in my favour.”
Additionally, her legal team released a statement affirming their commitment to presenting their arguments in court.
The trial revolves around Shakira’s residency status between 2012 and 2014, during which time prosecutors allege that the singer was living in Spain but claimed residency elsewhere for tax purposes.
According to Spanish law, individuals who reside in the country for more than six months are considered residents for tax purposes.
However, Shakira asserts that Spain was not her primary residence during that time period.
In July, prosecutors released a document claiming that Shakira purchased a house in Barcelona in 2012, which became a family home shared with her then-partner, Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué.
Her lawyers argue that the majority of her income during that time came from international tours and that she spent long periods of time outside of Spain.
Shakira expressed her frustration with the situation in her interview with Elle, saying, “The Spanish tax authorities saw that I was dating a Spanish citizen and started to salivate. It’s clear they wanted to go after that money no matter what.”
The singer declared Spain as her place of residence for tax purposes in 2015 and has claimed to have paid €17.2m in tax and have no outstanding debts.
In a separate case in 2019, Mr. Piqué was fined €2.1m for tax evasion between 2008 and 2010.
Shakira and Mr. Piqué, who have two sons together, announced their separation in June of this year after 11 years of being together.
The singer spoke publicly about the split for the first time in her interview with Elle, describing it as “probably one of the most difficult, darkest hours of my life.”
