Colombian pop singer Shakira to face 8-year jail in Spanish tax evasion case

A Spanish judge on Tuesday approved a trial for Colombian pop singer Shakira on charges of tax fraud. Spanish prosecutors accused the entertainer in 2018 of failing to pay 14.5 million euros (USD 13.9 million) in taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014.

Prosecutors are seeking an eight-year prison sentence and a hefty fine if she is found guilty of tax evasion. Shakira, 45, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and rejected a deal with authorities to avoid going



to trial. Her public relations firm has said that she has already paid all that she owed and an additional 3 million euros (USD 2.8 million) in interest.

The date for the trial has yet to be set.

The case hinges on where Shakira lived during 2012-14. Prosecutors in Barcelona have alleged the Grammy winner spent more than half of that period in Spain and should have paid taxes in the country, even though her official residence was in the Bahamas.