SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 26 April 2024, Friday |

Spanish court formally sends Shakira to trial for tax fraud

According to a court document unsealed on Tuesday, a Spanish court formally ordered Colombian diva Shakira to stand trial on allegations that she failed to pay 14.5 million euros ($14.31 million) in income taxes.

The 45-year-old ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ singer, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, rejected a plea bargain in July, which meant she would have to stand trial in a case that may land her in prison for eight years.

The Esplugues de Llobregat court stated the trial will take place on an unspecified date on Tuesday.

The prosecutor is seeking an eight-year prison term for the singer, who is accused of failing to pay taxes between 2012 and 2014, a period in which she said she was leading a “nomadic life” because of her work.

“The order to send Shakira to trial is just another step in any proceedings of this kind. The situation has not changed, and everything continues as normal. Shakira’s legal defense will do its job by presenting its written arguments at the appropriate time,” a statement from her lawyers said.

Shakira vowed last week to fight what she claimed were “false” accusations by Spanish authorities and added that she had already paid what the Spanish tax office said she owed before they filed a lawsuit.

    Source:
  • Reuters