West News Wire: After a court close to Barcelona announced on Thursday that it had decided to launch an inquiry into a second case of alleged tax fraud by the Colombian singer, pop diva Shakira is now in more legal trouble with Spain’s tax agency.
For allegedly neglecting to pay 13.9 million euros ($13.9 million) in taxes on revenue generated between 2012 and 2014, Shakira is already scheduled to go on trial at a later date. The performer has vehemently denied any misconduct.
Currently, a Spanish judge and state prosecutors have agreed to look into two potential tax fraud charges involving Shakira from 2018. The court said that it was unaware of the amount in dispute.
A court in the nearby town of Esplugues de Llobregat is managing both cases.
The first lawsuit that will go to trial will depend on Shakira’s residence from 2012 to 2014. Although her official residency was in the Bahamas, Barcelona prosecutors claim that the Grammy winner spent more than half of that time in Spain and should have paid taxes there.
In a statement released in Spanish, Shakira’s PR company, Llorente y Cuenca, said that the singer had “always acted in accordance with the law and on the advice of her financial advisers.”
The company claimed that Shakira, who currently resides in Miami, has not yet been informed of the second investigation.
“(Shakira) is now focused on her artistic career in Miami and is calm and confident that she will receive a favorable resolution of her fiscal issues,” the firm said.
Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, has been linked to Spain since she started dating the now-retired soccer player Gerard Pique. The couple, who have two children, lived together in Barcelona until last year, when they ended their 11-year relationship.
Spain has cracked down on soccer stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo over the past decade for not paying their full due in taxes. They were found guilty of evasion but both avoided prison time thanks to a provision that allows a judge to waive sentences under two years in length for first-time offenders.
