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Shakira to face trial in Spain on tax fraud charges

BARCELONA, Spain — A judge has approved a trial for international pop star Shakira, who is accused of tax fraud.

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The Spanish judge approved the trial Tuesday, as prosecutors accuse the entertainer of failing to pay 14.5 million euros ($13.9 million) in taxes on income earned from 2012-2014, The Associated Press reported.

Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, rejected a settlement offer from the prosecutor’s office in July that would have closed the case, as we reported at the time. The terms of the offer were not released.

No trial date has been announced. Prosecutors have said they are seeking an eight-year prison term if Shakira is found guilty, Reuters reported.

At the center of the case is the question of where Shakira was living over the two-year period, the AP reported. While prosecutors said that the singer spent most of her time in Spain and she should pay taxes as a result, Shakira’s official residence was in the Bahamas.

In a statement to Reuters, Shakira’s attorneys said: “The order to send Shakira to trial is just another step in any proceedings of this kind. The situation has not changed and everything continues as normal. Shakira’s legal defense will do its job by presenting its written arguments at the appropriate time.”

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