MADRID, Nov 20Colombian singer Shakira has reached an agreement with Spanish tax authorities to avoid a trial for allegedly failing to pay €14.5 million in income taxes in Spain between 2012 and 2014, for which she would have faced a prison sentence and a multimillion-dollar fine. on Monday the newspaper La Vanguardia, citing sources.
According to the publication, as part of the deal, the 46-year-old singer agreed to three years in prison and a fine of 7 million euros, although the prosecution initially demanded eight years in prison and a fine of more than 23 million euros. In addition, it was decided to replace the three-year prison sentence with a fine.
It is noted that as a result of the meeting, which lasted only two minutes, a final verdict was passed, so Shakira will not have to go through a single court hearing.
According to the prosecution, the singer withdrew funds subject to taxation in Spain to offshore accounts. Prosecutors argued that the singer had to pay taxes in Spain because she lived in the kingdom for more than the legal minimum period of six months, although the artist initially argued that this was not the case because she paid taxes on income from her professional activities in the Bahamas, where she has an official residence.
In September, it was reported that Spain's economic crimes prosecutor had filed a new lawsuit against Shakira in a second case alleging tax evasion in 2018 amounting to more than 6.6 million euros.