Shakira will have to stand trial for allegedly failing to pay $13.9 million in taxes between the years of 2012 and 2014, a Spanish judge ordered on Tuesday, with prosecutors looking to impose an eight-year prison sentence.
The 45-year-old, who has denied any wrongdoing, will also face a stiff fine if prosecutors win a conviction of the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer.
She has already rejected a plea agreement which would have spared her a trial, having insisted she only lived in Spain for part of the year during that two-year period, according to the New York Post. She purchased a family home in Barcelona in May 2012.
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Shakira’s PR Firm Maintains She Paid Off All Tax Debt With Interest, Singer Rejects Plea Deal
Meanwhile, Shakira’s public relations firm maintains she has already paid off all of the back tax debt, alongside an additional 3 million euros, or $2.8 million USD, in interest.
She’s currently facing six counts of tax fraud, per the court which is based in the town of Esplugues de Llobregat near Barcelona.
No trial date has been scheduled as of yet.
The case depends on where Shakira lived between 2012 and 2014, with prosecutors in Barcelona claiming the she spent more than half of that timeframe in Spain and was on the hook to pay taxes in the country.
The allegations come despite the face that her official residence was in the Bahamas.
A representative for the singer reportedly stated that she is “fully confident of her innocence” and that she believes the case is “a total violation of her rights.”
Grammy Winner Has Been Linked To Spain Since She Started Dating Her Now-Ex Boyfriend
The Grammy winner had been linked to the European country after she began dating soccer player Gerard Piqué back in 2010.
The couple, who share two children together, broke up this year after being together for over a decade in what has been quite a messy separation.
Piqué, who plays for La Liga outfit Barcelona, is currently dating a 23-year-old public relations student, Clara Chia Marti.
Shakira has accused her ex of cheating on her before the couple separated, with TMZ reporting the pair sat apart from each other during their son’s basketball game on Saturday.
Fans On Social Media Come To Shakira’s Defense Amidst Tax Fraud Case, Public Break-Up
Meanwhile, fans across social media have come to the singer’s defense and are rooting for her to beat the case in hilarious reactions.
“The Spanish colonizers trying to rob my Colombian queen’s money shall never succeed. Shakira shall win this tax case,” one supporter tweeted.
Several others joked about breaking her out of jail.
Earlier this summer, The Shade Room previously reported on Shakira’s tax troubles.
