How many years in prison could she face?
Colombian pop singer Shakira could face up to eight years in prison in a case where Spanish prosecutors accused her of tax evasion.
Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, faces six charges alleging she failed to pay the Spanish government nearly $15 million in taxes between 2012 and 2014. Prosecutors said that they would also seek a $24.5 million fine.
The singer “trusts her innocence and chooses to leave the matter in the hands of the law,” her public relations firm Llorente y Cuenca said in a statement on Wednesday.
Here’s everything you need to know about the ongoing tax evasion case:
Will Shakira be tried for tax evasion?
Shakira’s tax evasion case is set to go to trial after the 45-year-old singer rejected a settlement agreement offered by prosecutors. The trial date has not yet been set.
If found guilty, prosecutors are asking the court to impose a sentence of eight years and two months.
A judge can waive the jail term for first-time offenders if they are sentenced to less than two years behind bars.
Case of tax evasion:Spanish prosecutors seek 8-year prison sentence for singer Shakira
When was Shakira charged with tax evasion?
Prosecutors charged Shakira with tax evasion in December 2018, alleging she failed to pay millions in taxes to the Spanish government between 2012 and 2014.
Shakira has listed the Bahamas as her official residence for tax purposes during those years, but prosecutors say she was actually living in Spain with her. now ex-partnerspanish footballer Gérard Piqué, father of her two children.
Shakira accused:Spanish court charges singer with multi-million dollar tax evasion lawsuit in Spain
What did Shakira say about the tax fraud lawsuit?
Shakira testified before a judge in 2019 as part of an investigation into her alleged tax evasion and denied any wrongdoing. Her public relations firm said she immediately paid what she owed with interest once she was notified of the debt by the tax office.
The case depends on where she lived during the years in question.
Previously:Shakira denies wrongdoing in Spanish tax evasion case
The court dismissed his appeal in May and trial recommended.
Spanish judge Marco Juberías wrote that his three-year investigation found there was “enough evidence of criminality” to bring the case to trial.
Contributor: Elise Brisco, USA TODAY, and The Associated Press
