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Shakira facing up to 8 years in prison for tax fraud

MADRID — Prosecutors in Spain said they plan to ask the court to sentence pop star Shakira to more than eight years in prison if she is convicted of tax fraud.

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Shakira, full name Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, is charged with failing to pay the Spanish government the equivalent of $15 million in taxes from 2012-2014, The Associated Press reported. Prosecutors are seeking a fine of $24 million in addition to jail time.

This week, Shakira rejected a settlement offer from the prosecutor’s office that would have closed the case, Reuters reported. The terms of that settlement were not released.

Documents in the case, obtained by Reuters, show prosecutors are alleging that Shakira lived in Barcelona from 2012-2014, in a family home where her son was born in 2013.

Shakira’s publicists said in a statement to the AP that Shakira “has always cooperated and abided by the law, demonstrating impeccable conduct as an individual and a taxpayer.” The singer’s representatives said that Shakira has paid all money owed, including 3 million euros in interest.

Shakira, who announced a split from husband Gerard Piqué in June, declared Spain her place of residence for tax purposes in 2015, BBC reported.

Piqué was fined 2.1 million euros in 2019 for a separate tax evasion case, BBC reported.

No trial date has been set in the case.

Shakira, 45, has been dubbed the “Queen of Latin Pop” and is the mother of two sons with Piqué, Reuters reported.

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