Shakira’s lawyers have criticized Spanish prosecutors after the star reportedly found out about a new tax fraud lawsuit against her ‘through the media’ and insist that she has ‘always acted in accordance with the law’ .
The 46-year-old is facing a tax fraud investigation in Spain, a court said today, with her legal team saying she has so far received “no formal notice” of the investigation into her 2018 tax affairs.
The ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ singer is already due to face trial on separate charges towards the end of the year, in another case involving more than 14.5m euros (£12.5m) in back taxes owed between 2012 and 2014.
If the new investigation is based on similar revenue, he faces another potential multi-million dollar tax case.
In the 2012-2014 case, the prosecution is seeking a prison sentence of up to eight years for the Colombian star, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak.
Shakira, who has been romantically linked to F1 driver Lewis Hamilton in recent weeks, has denied any wrongdoing and insisted she will fight the allegations in court rather than seek a last-minute deal with Spanish prosecutors.
Shakira (pictured at Wimbledon this year) faces investigation for alleged income and value-added tax fraud in 2018
The mother of two was recently photographed watching Carlos Alcaraz play in the Wimbledon semi-final.
The new investigation will be carried out by a judge from a court in Esplugues de Llobregat, the same one who opened the previous investigation that culminated in the prosecution of the artist.
Shakira’s legal advisors said in a statement this afternoon: “Shakira has not received any formal notification of the complaint from the Prosecutor’s Office that has been, according to the media, filed for the fiscal year 2018.
“Once again, as has been the case for several years, it is through the media that the singer has found out about the filing of this lawsuit, demonstrating the public and reputational pressure to which she is being subjected.”
They said they would not make any comment “until the notification reaches them through the official and legally established channels.”
And they added: “As is public knowledge, 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 adherence to the provisions of the Law.
‘As she has stated on numerous occasions, Shakira defends having always acted in accordance with the law and under the advice of the best tax experts.
“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 problems.”
Officials today confirmed reports of the new investigation, which will put Shakira in the spotlight once again.
A spokesman for the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia said: ‘The Investigating Court number 2 of Esplugues de Llobregat has opened a procedure following a complaint filed by the public prosecutor’s office against the singer Shakira for two alleged tax offenses related to personal income tax and Wealth tax for the Spanish treasury in 2018.’
The prosecutor did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new case.
Before leaving Barcelona for Miami in early April, Shakira launched a harsh attack on the Spanish tax authorities after it became known that she would be tried for the alleged crimes committed between 2012 and 2014.
She claimed she was being persecuted and accused the Spanish Treasury of using “unacceptable methods to damage her reputation and force her to come to an agreement.”
She insisted that she had no intention of reaching any last-minute settlement and that she would go to trial.
A spokesperson for the artist also made it clear that she felt the country’s tax authorities were accusing her of lying about residing outside Spain ‘without proof’ during the years in which she had been accused of tax fraud.
Shakira, previously a tax resident in the Bahamas, only registered as a full-time tax resident in Spain in 2015 despite having started dating her ex Gerard Piqué five years earlier.
Shakira, previously a tax resident in the Bahamas, only registered as a full-time tax resident in Spain in 2015 despite having started dating her ex Gerard Piqué five years earlier.
People who spend more than 183 days in a given calendar year in Spain are considered residents of Spain for tax purposes.
Spanish tax inspectors have reportedly spent more than a year keeping tabs on Shakira, including visiting her favorite hairdressers in Barcelona and combing through her social media to try to prove she spent the better part of the three years in dispute in Spain.
They concluded that she had spent 242 days in Spain in 2012, 212 days in 2013 and 243 days in the country in 2014 before charging her with six counts of tax fraud over those three years.
A statement issued by LLYC, Shakira’s Barcelona publicist, last November and authorized by Shakira said: ‘Shakira is a taxpayer who has always displayed impeccable tax conduct and has never had tax problems in any other jurisdiction.
‘The singer relied on high-level advisors such as PriceWaterhouseCoopers. She never exceeded the 183 days of presence in Spain necessary to be a tax resident.
“Without solid evidence to support the charges against her, she has been fiercely persecuted in the criminal and media spheres using unacceptable methods to damage her reputation and force her to settle.”
November 20 is scheduled to begin Shakira’s tax trial, which will take place in 12 sessions.
The last day of public hearing would be December 14, since the court will not be in session for some days.
Wealth tax in Spain is an annual tax payable on the total net value of your assets held as of December 31. Spanish tax residents pay tax on their assets worldwide.
I am Rakesh Sharma, I associated with Elite News as an Editor, since 2021. I take care of all the news operations like content, budget, hiring and policy making.