2023-11-20 09:09:00
(CNN) — The Colombian singer Shakira reached a last-minute agreement with Justice this Monday to avoid the oral trial at the Provincial Court of Barcelona, where she was going to begin being tried for the alleged commission of six crimes of tax fraud between the years 2012 and 2014.
In a hearing that only lasted eight minutes, the Prosecutor’s Office, the State Attorney’s Office and the lawyer of the Generalitat, who represented the accusation against the singer, showed their agreement with a pact by which Shakira accepts her guilt for the crimes against her. against him in exchange for a sentence of 3 years in prison and a fine of nearly US$8.10 million.
However, in the written agreement obtained by CNN, both the prosecution and the singer agree to ask the judge to suspend the prison sentence and replace it with a fine of US$478,000 (438,000 euros). In this way, she will avoid going to prison.
The public relations firm that represents the artist has shared a statement with CNN in which the Colombian states that “I have always strived to do the right thing” and that at this time she sought advice from the “most prominent tax authorities in the world.” .
“Unfortunately, and despite these efforts, the tax authorities in Spain brought a case against me, as they have done against many professional athletes and other high-profile people, draining the energy, time and peace of mind of those people for years. “adds the singer in this statement.
“While I was determined to defend my innocence in a trial that my attorneys were confident would have ruled in my favor, I made the decision to ultimately resolve this matter taking into account the best interests of my children who do not want to see their mother sacrifice her personal well-being in this fight,” says Shakira. “[…]For me, today, winning is recovering time for my children and my career,” the music star concludes in the statement.
Shakira was due to appear before the Spanish Court this Monday for allegedly having defrauded the Public Treasury of nearly US$ 15.8 million (14.5 million euros) by not submitting the Personal Income Tax (IRPF) settlements. and Wealth Tax (IP) corresponding between the years 2012 and 2014. To do so, he would have used some ghost companies, according to a document presented in 2018 that CNN accessed at that time, in places with tax benefits to collect certain income for that value and not having to declare them in Spain, and thus avoid paying taxes.
Shakira’s tax evasion case
The Spanish prosecutor’s office alleged that Shakira did not pay income and wealth tax between 2012 and 2014, currently valued at about US$15.6 million.
The Spanish tax code states that anyone who resides in the country for at least six months and one day — or 183 days — in a given year is required to pay taxes.
Judicial authorities maintain that the artist lived in the country more than 183 days a year during those years. In a 2021 ruling, Judge Marco Jesús Juberías said that Shakira lived more than 200 days in the country in each of those three years, so she is obliged to pay taxes.
But the Colombian pop star had denied all the accusations against him and described them as “false” in an interview with Elle magazine in September 2022.
“First, I didn’t spend 183 days a year at that time at all. I was busy fulfilling my professional commitments all over the world. Second, I’ve paid everything they said I owed, even before they filed a lawsuit “So, as of today, I don’t owe them anything,” the artist told the magazine, adding that she will have her day in court for “a matter of principle.”
Before the agreement, it was expected that if she was found guilty of the six counts of alleged tax fraud against her, the prosecution would request a sentence of eight years in prison, plus fines. Each of the six charges could carry a minimum of one year in prison, according to a document from the Barcelona provincial prosecutor’s office presented to the court in July 2022, seen by CNN.
The “Hips don’t lie” singer is back in Spain, after she permanently moved to Miami following her breakup with her long-term partner, Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqué. The couple announced their breakup after 12 years in 2022 and have two children together: Milan, born in 2013, and Sasha, born in 2015.
They both met when the soccer player appeared in the video clip of Shakira’s song “Waka Waka”, the official song of the 2010 World Cup, which Spain won. The video has more than 3.1 billion views on YouTube.
The breakup with the former defender of FC Barcelona and the Spanish team has been very loud, and Shakira has chosen her music to express her feelings.
In January 2023, the Colombian singer released “BZRP Music Sessions Vol. 53” in collaboration with Bizarrap.
In the song he talks about his relationship and breakup with Piqué. In an interview that aired in February Shakira said it was necessary for “her own healing” of herself.
“A wolf like me is not for guys like you,” Shakira says in the lyrics.
Last week the singer took the stage and collected three awards at the 2023 Latin Grammys, including best song of the year for BZRP Music Sessions Vol. 53 during a ceremony held in Seville.
The Colombian dedicated the night and the awards to her children: “I have promised them that I will be happy,” she said.
— Editor’s note: This article has been updated with recent information on Shakira’s case in the Spanish courts.
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