Shakira is apparently successful on the first day of the court battle. The Colombian singer reached an agreement with Spanish prosecutors on the settlement of the tax fraud case and must pay 7.3 million euros. The star, who would face eight years in prison and more than 20 million euros in fines if found guilty, denied that she had done anything wrong and said that she had never harmed the state coffers because of her own benefits.
Shakira settled in her favor at the court in Barcelona. The popular singer, who is facing charges of tax fraud amounting to 14.5 million euros, has agreed to a settlement with Spanish prosecutors. This means that she accepted the indictment and agreed to pay 50 percent of the alleged debt, which is around 7.3 million euros. She also agreed to pay a fine in the amount of 438,000 euros in order to avoid a three-year prison sentence, thus avoiding the continuation of the trial and thus also all the punishments she faced.
The trial against the star began today, and in a statement in her defense she wrote: “Throughout my career, I have always strived to do what is right and set a positive example for others. This often means going the extra mile in business and personal financial decisions to obtain the absolute best counsel, including seeking the advice of the world’s leading tax authority, PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited and Ernst & Young Global Limited, who have been my advisors throughout this entire process.”
Among other things, the Colombian singer, who faced eight years in prison and a fine of 23.8 million euros if found guilty, wrote that despite such efforts, the Spanish authorities still initiated legal proceedings against her . “And also against many professional athletes and other prominent individuals, which took away energy, time and peace from these people for many years,” she wrote and added: “Although I was determined to defend my innocence in a trial that my lawyers were confident would result in my favor, I decided to finally settle this matter in the best interests of my children who do not want to see their mother as they would sacrificed her personal well-being in this struggle.”
Former partner Gerard Piquewith whom they have two sons, Sasha and Milanshe also wrote that the children were the reason she fought for her rights. “I need to move past the stress and emotional strain of the last few years and focus on the things I love – my children and all the opportunities that will arise in my career, including the upcoming world tour and my new album,” she emphasized and concluded: “I greatly admire those who fought these injustices to the end, but for me today is a victory to have time for my sons and my career again.”
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Shakira’s alleged tax fraud trial begins
The 46-year-old woman was also accused in the lawsuit of having lived in Spain between 2012 and 2014, although her permanent residence was arranged elsewhere. Under Spanish law, people who spend more than six months in the country count as residents for tax purposes. Shakira denied this with the fact that Spain was not where she spent most of her time at the time and that the authorities knew that she was in a relationship with a Spanish citizen, so they had a sniff of her money. The prosecution, on the other hand, claims that she deliberately decided to defraud the state treasury by hiding her earnings in tax havens. In 2015, the singer also officially designated the home in Barcelona as her permanent residence and paid 17.2 million euros in tax, which is why, according to her, she has no outstanding debts.
