July 28, 2022 | 12: 33pm
Shakira opted to visit trial rather than settling allegations she defrauded Spain’s government.Getty
MADRID (AP) Colombian pop singer Shakira has opted to visit trial rather than accepting a deal provided by Spanish prosecutors to stay allegations she defrauded Spains government of 14.5 million euros ($15 million) in taxes, her pr team said Wednesday.
Shakira, 45, trusts her innocence and chooses to leave the problem in the hands of regulations, the PR firm Llorente y Cuenca said in a statement.
Spanish prosecutors charged the singer in 2018 with failing woefully to pay 14.5 million euros in taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014. She faces a possible fine and prison sentence, if found guilty of tax evasion.
There have been no immediate details on the offer prosecutors offered. No date for the trial has been set.
Shakiras pr firm said she’s deposited the total amount she is thought to owe with the Spanish Tax Agency and contains no pending tax debts.
The case depends on where she lived during 2012-14. Prosecutors allege it had been mostly in Spain despite the fact that Shakiras official residence was in the Bahamas.
Shakira, whose name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, has two children with Barcelona soccer star Gerard Piqu. The couple used to call home together in Barcelona but recently ended their 11-year relationship.
