Shakira is ready to prove her innocence in a court of law.
In December 2018, Spanish prosecutors charged the “Hips Don’t Lie” icon with tax evasion. They said between 2012 to 2014, she allegedly avoided paying $15.5 million in taxes in Spain by claiming that she lived in the Bahamas.
According to reports, Shakira recently rejected an agreement from the prosecutor’s office, which means the case is likely to go to trial. The superstar, however, doesn’t seem too concerned because, as her defense team puts it, “she fully trusts her innocence” and believes that she has “no pending debt.”
Shakira’s team adds that charging her with tax fraud is “a total violation of her rights, since she has always shown impeccable conduct as a person and a taxpayer.” They point to a tax bill she paid in 2018 that totaled approximately $17.5 million as proof that her accounts are current. “For many years, there has been no pending debt with the Treasury,” her defense states.
Shakira said the Spanish prosecutors have “unduly” pressured her to pay taxes on money she earned during her international tours and her time as a judge on the reality TV series The Voice when she was not a resident of Spain.
This past May, a court in Spain dismissed her appeal to drop the case. According to reports, a Spanish court ruled that there is “sufficient evidence of criminality.” If found guilty, Shakira could face fines and jail time.
In another tax-related case that took place last year, Shakira was one of several celebrities and world leaders implicated in Pandora Papers, “the largest trove of leaked offshore data in history.” The documents suggest Shakira set up offshore accounts to hide money to avoid paying taxes.