Shakira sentenced to eight years in jail

This article was last updated on July 29, 2022

Canada: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…

After being found guilty of tax evasion, Shakira was sentenced to eight years in jail.

Spain’s Public Prosecutor’s Office has requested that Shakira be sentenced to eight years in jail. A fine of 23.5 million euros is also sought by the Public Prosecution Service for her involvement. The Colombian singer allegedly avoided paying 14.5 million euros in taxes between 2012 and 2014, according to the prosecution.

Shakira is adamant that she did nothing illegal because she didn’t live in Spain during that time period, according to her. Gerard Pique, a Barcelona footballer, had been dating Shakira since 2011. They called it quits a month ago.

Prosecutors allege that the musician evaded Spanish tax authorities by hiding revenue from various entities. She reportedly spent more than half of the years 2012-2014 in Spain. According to Shakira’s legal team, the singer first moved to Spain in 2015 from the Bahamas.

Shakira spent 243 days in Spain in 2012, 212 days in 2013, and 244 days in 2014, according to a tax probe. Tax is required for inhabitants of Spain who have been in the nation for more than 183 days, according to the country’s constitution.

After saying that the tax bill of 14.5 million euros was unreasonable, Shakira paid it and an additional 3 million euros in penalties. There are no outstanding tax liabilities in Spain for her, says her spokeswoman.

“Long have Shakira and her team attempted to show that she incurred a variety of expenses while living in the Bahamas, such as telephone and energy use charges. Everything would point to her residing outside of Spain. But the tax officials in Spain are sceptical. Evidence against her was obtained.

Consider the amount of money she spent on her credit card, her French lessons, her dancing lessons, and her trips to the mall and out to dinner. The tax officials concluded that Shakira had been living in Spain all this time, based on these findings. In the end, Shakira’s own fan club provided the most damning proof. As a result, the tax officials were able to have a very good idea of where the singer was at all times.

Shakira’s future is currently in jeopardy, though. Last year, her ex-husband won a tax dispute with the government of Spain. With one stroke of the pen, a fine totaling more than 2 million euros was wiped clean from the table. Shakira’s confidence will be bolstered by this.

Despite this, the outlook is bleak. She refuses to accept a settlement and instead allows the matter to go to trial. This implies that the Office of the Public Prosecutor likewise maintains a strong edge. Shakira may not be in prison for eight years, but it’s no longer out of the question that she’ll spend some time behind bars.”

The singer has previously rejected a settlement deal from the tax authorities. According to papers released by the Paradise Papers in 2017, Shakira has been accused of money laundering and tax evasion. The revelation indicated that a number of celebrities, including the Queen of England, Madonna, and Bono, were utilising tax evasion arrangements.

Shakira was proven to be the sole stakeholder of a Malta-based firm through which $30 million in song rights were funnelled. This, too, was lawful, according to her attorneys.

Authorities in Spain began looking into the singer’s finances in 2018 and are now conducting their probe. For tax evasion charges against Shakira, the Spanish judge concluded last year that there was enough evidence to proceed. “With peace of mind and confidence,” the singer declares in a statement.