Shakira has repeatedly denied the allegations. In a recent interview with Elle magazine, the singer said she did not settle with the Spanish authorities because she has evidence proving that she has not spent enough days in the country during this period to be considered resident for tax purposes.
She was busy traveling around the world, even pregnant with her first child, she told the magazine.
“It is well known that the Spanish tax authorities often do this not only with celebrities like me (or [soccer stars Cristiano] Ronaldo, Neymar, [Xabi] Alonso, and many others), it also happens unfairly to the ordinary taxpayer,” Shakira told Elle. “But I am confident that I have enough evidence to support my case and that justice will prevail in my favor.”
Its publicists did not immediately respond to an email from The Washington Post seeking comment.
In court documents obtained by The Post, the judge of Esplugues de Llobregat (Barcelona), Ana Duro Palencia, ordered the singer to be tried on six counts related to tax evasion. The judge has not yet set a trial date. In the meantime, Shakira will not be subject to any precautionary measures such as house arrest, the judge said in the five-page court document dated September 19.
Spanish prosecutors are asking for more than eight years in prison and a fine of around $24 million for Shakira.
The charges date back to 2018, when Spanish prosecutors first accused the Grammy-winning artist of evading millions in taxes. According to prosecutors, Shakira spent more than 200 days in Spain in each of those years. If an individual spends more than 183 days in the country per year, they are considered Spanish residents for tax purposes, according to the law of the country. The singer claimed the Bahamas as her tax residence until 2015 when she moved to Barcelona with FC Barcelona footballer Gerard Pique, her partner at the time. They have two children together and recently ended their 11-year relationship.
Last year, a judge ruled that prosecutors had gathered enough evidence to bring the tax evasion charges to court. In July, after weeks of negotiations, the singer declined a settlement offer from Spanish prosecutors, El País reported.
Shakira told Elle magazine that she rejected the proposal because she had evidence to support her claims, adding that going to court was a “matter of principle”.
The singer’s public relations team in Spain said she repaid the amount she owed to the Spanish tax agency as soon as she was informed, plus around 3 million euros (nearly 2 $.9 million) in interest, El País reported.
Shakira’s name, along with those of other celebrities, appeared in two large caches of leaked financial documents: the Paradise Papers in 2017 and the Pandora Papers in 2021.
Amy Cheng contributed to this report.
