Singer Shakira to appear in Barcelona court on first day of her tax fraud trial in Spain

Global pop star Shakira was summoned on Monday to a Barcelona courthouse to attend the first day of her trial for allegedly defrauding Spanish tax officials of millions of euros. Shakira, 46, faces six counts of failing to pay the Spanish government 14.5 million euros (about $ 15.8 million) in taxes between 2012 and 2014.

The multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy winner denied any wrongdoing and said she had paid everything she owed. The case made headlines in 2018. It currently hinges on where Shakira lived during that period. Prosecutors in Barcelona have alleged that the Colombian singer spent more than half of that period in Spain and therefore should have paid taxes on her worldwide income in the country, even though her official residence was still in the Bahamas. Tax rates are much lower in the Bahamas than in Spain.

Prosecutors said in July that they would seek a prison sentence of eight years and two months and a fine of 24 million euros ($ 26.1 million) for the singer. Shakira’s public relations firm said she had already paid all that she owed and an additional 3 million euros (about $ 3.2 million) in interest. Shakira turned down a deal offered to her by prosecutors to settle her case in July 2022. — AP

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