That's the deal, my dear: Shakira finally settles her tax fraud case

After fighting for almost five years, the "TQG" singer struck a deal with Spanish authorities on the first day of her trial

By Emma Keates  |  November 20, 2023 | 4:13pm
Aux News Shakira
That's the deal, my dear: Shakira finally settles her tax fraud case
Shakira Photo: Jason Kempin

Happily for the Spanish government, Shakira just agreed to pay them a whole lot of money to settle her ongoing tax fraud case, which means that sadly for us, we can’t make “whenever, wherever, Shakira is gonna commit tax fraud” jokes anymore. At least there’s another line in the same song that perfectly sums up this situation. She really seems to think of everything—except where to spend the majority of her time in the 2010s, apparently.

For the past five years, Shakira has maintained her innocence in charges claiming she failed to pay the Spanish government 14.5 million euros (approximately $15.8 million) in taxes from 2012 to 2014. If found guilty, the singer would have faced a fine of up to $26 million as well as a potential eight-year prison sentence (per Associated Press).

The actual trial began and ended within eight minutes today, however, as the singer said “yes” to six counts of failing to pay what she owed. Her deal includes a suspended three-year sentence in exchange for a $472,000 fine, as well as an additional fine of $8 million.

“I have made the decision to finally resolve this matter with the best interest of my kids at heart who do not want to see their mom sacrifice her personal well-being in this fight,” the “TQG” singer said in a statement. “I need to move past the stress and emotional toll of the last several years and focus on the things I love, my kids and all the opportunities to come in my career.”

In general, the Spanish government’s charges revolved around where the singer spent the majority of her time during the period in question. While her official residence was listed as being in the Bahamas, the government claimed she actually spent more than half her time in Spain and therefore should have been paying taxes in the country.

“This has been a difficult decision that took time to reach,” her lawyer added. “Her legal team had prepared the trial and were convinced we could demonstrate her innocence, but the circumstances changed and (Shakira) opted to accept the deal.” According to AP, the singer entered the Barcelona courtroom after blowing a kiss to a small crowd of fans that had gathered. so she’s clearly not letting this get her down too much.

 
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