Shakira Avoids Jail Time After Settling Spain Tax Evasion Case, Singer Agrees To Pay $7.6 Million Fine

November 20, 2023 by Ariel Whitely in Music with 0 Comments

Shakira Avoids Jail Time After Settling Spain Tax Evasion Case, Singer Agrees To Pay $7.6 Million Fine

Shakira has reached a settlement in her multi-million-dollar tax fraud case with Spanish officials.

According to reports, the Columbian singer accepted a plea deal on Monday (November 20) in Barcelona, Spain. As you may recall, Shakira, 46, allegedly failed to pay the Spanish government $15.8 million in taxes between 2012 and 2014. Reportedly, Spanish prosecutors initially wanted the singer to pay a fine of $26 million and serve eight years in prison for her alleged crime.

However, thanks to the plea deal, Shakira has avoided any jail time with a suspended three-year sentence. In addition to agreeing to pay the amount owed in full (plus interest), she received a fine of $7.6 million, reports claim.

Shakira

Reportedly, Shakira’s tax fraud trial — which began and ended on the same day — was expected to last several weeks and involve over 100 witnesses. Although the “Waka Waka” artist was ordered to hand over millions, it appears she won’t be hurting too much over the financial penalty as her reported net worth is over $200 million.

As previously reported, Prosecutors in Barcelona claimed that Shakira spent more than half of her time in Spain from 2012-2014 and therefore, she should have paid taxes on her income there. Allegedly, the mother-of-two lived half of each year in Spain with her now ex-boyfriend Gerard Piqué. However, her primary residence is reportedly listed as a private island in the Bahamas, which she co-owns with musician Roger Waters.

ShakiraShakira’s defense lawyer, Miriam Company, explained the decision to accept the deal and said,

“This has been a difficult decision that took time to reach, a tough decision that is motivated by her desire to focus on raising her children and her professional career.”

She added,

“Her legal team had prepared for the trial and were convinced they could demonstrate her innocence, but the circumstances changed, and Shakira opted to accept the deal.”