COURT ORDERS COLOMBIAN SINGER, SHAKIRA TO PAY €7.3 MILLION TO SETTLE SPAIN FRAUD CASE
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A Barcelona court said on Monday that Colombian diva Shakira has reached a settlement with Spanish prosecutors to avoid going to trial for tax fraud, which included paying a fine of more than €7.3 million ($7.98 million).
Shakira refuted the accusations made by the prosecution, stating she only relocated to Spain permanently in 2015. The celebrity was accused of defrauding the Spanish state of around €14.5 million ($15.7 million) in revenue generated between 2012 and 2014.
Shakira agreed to pay a fine of €7.33 million ($7.98 million), which is equivalent to half of the amount of unpaid tax, and to get a three-year suspended sentence as part of the agreement, which was revealed at the beginning of the singer’s 46-year trial.
The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer will also pay a separate fine of €432,000 to have her jail sentence suspended, bringing the total amount she will have to pay to around €7.8 million.
The singer, who had previously rejected a deal offered by prosecutors, said in a statement she had settled “with the best interest of my kids at heart who do not want to see their mom sacrifice her personal well-being in this fight.”
She added, “I need to move past the stress and emotional toll of the last several years and focus on the things I love – my kids and all the opportunities to come in my career, including my upcoming world tour and my new album.
“I admire tremendously those who have fought these injustices to the end, but for me, today, winning is getting my time back for my kids and my career.”
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