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Shakira Hit With 2nd Tax Fraud Case 10 Months After Being Ordered to Stand Trial in Tax Evasion Case
Shakira has been hit with a second tax fraud case in Spain nearly 10 months after she was ordered to stand trial in a $13.9 million tax evasion case. Keep scrolling to learn about the case, find out how much she owes, see her response to the claims and more.
What Has Shakira Been Accused of In Her Second Tax Fraud Case?
On July 20, a Spanish court located in the town of Esplugues de Llobregat near Barcelona, Spain, said that it has started a new investigation against Shakira. The recent investigation is linked to alleged fraud on personal income tax and wealth tax in 2018 according to reports.
The second case was opened after the Barcelona Economic Crimes Prosecutor issued a complaint that Shakira allegedly defrauded the Tax Agency, according to reports. Additionally, the prosecutor’s office has filed a complaint for two alleged tax crimes.
How Much Money Does Shakira Owe in Her Second Tax Fraud Case?
On September 26, 2023, Spanish prosecutors charged Shakira with failing to pay 6.7 million euros — which converts to $7.1 million — in tax on her 2018 income, according to AP. Authorities noted in a statement that Shaira was notified of the charges in Miami.
What Has Shakira Said About the Second Tax Fraud Case?
A rep for Shakira said that she “defends having always acted in accordance with the law and under the advice of the best tax experts.” The statement continued, “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.”
After noting that Shakira has not received any formal notification of the second probe regarding the 2018 financial year, the rep continued, “The singer’s legal team will not make any comments until the notification reaches them through the official and legally established channels.”
“As it is publicly known, and as the Spanish Treasury was officially notified, Shakira is now living in Miami, so she must be notified personally at her new address, in strict accordance with the provisions of the Law,” the statement concluded.
What Happened During Shakira’s First Tax Fraud Case?
The “Waka Waka” singer’s first fraud case will be determined based on where she lived from 2012 to 2014. Prosecutors in Barcelona claimed that Shakira spent more than half of that period in Spain and argued that she should have paid taxes in the country. However, he official residence at the time was in the Bahamas.
She allegedly owes 14.5 million euros, which is $13.9 million, in taxes on income earned between those years.
Shakira previously rejected a settlement offer in the case in July 2022, which would have let them settle the case out of court. The singer chose to cut a plea deal with the Spanish government just one day before her trial was set to start on November 21. She agreed to pay $7.6 million and received a three-year suspended sentence.
Shakira said the reasoning behind the settlement was “to spare [her] children seeing their mother sacrifice her well-being” in a statement released on Monday, November 20.
“I admire tremendously those who have fought these injustices to the end,” she continued. “But for me, today, winning is getting my time back for my kids and my career.”
She has denied any wrongdoing in the first case. Meanwhile, her public relations firm insisted that she paid what she owed plus $3 million in interest, according to reports.
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