Pop star Shakira is facing more trouble from Spain’s tax office after a court near Barcelona agreed to open an investigation into a second case of alleged tax fraud by the Colombian singer. The court, located in the town of Esplugues de Llobregat near Barcelona, has started a new investigation against Shakira linked to alleged fraud on personal income tax and wealth tax in 2018.
The court has not disclosed the amount of money in question. This comes almost 10 months after Shakira was ordered to stand trial for allegedly failing to pay 14.5 million euros ($13.9 million) in taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014. Shakira’s public relations firm, Llorente y Cuenca, stated that the artist has always acted in accordance with the law and under the advice of her financial advisers.
Shakira, who now resides in Miami, has yet to receive formal notification of the second investigation. Her legal team will not comment until the notification is received through official channels. Shakira is expected to stand trial for the first case in the autumn. If found guilty, she could face a possible eight-year sentence and a large fine. The first case revolves around where Shakira lived during 2012-2014, with prosecutors alleging that she spent more than half of that period in Spain and should have paid taxes in the country, despite her official residence being in the Bahamas.
The second investigation is unrelated to her residency and is based on alleged irregularities detected by the Treasury. Shakira’s defense claims that any misunderstandings were due to a difference in criteria and that she made no effort to intentionally hide her income. Shakira left Barcelona for Miami in April, following her separation from ex-partner Gerard Piqué, a retired soccer player.
The couple, who have two children together, lived in Barcelona for over a decade. Spain has previously cracked down on high-profile figures, such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, for tax evasion. Both soccer stars were found guilty but avoided prison time due to a provision that allows judges to waive sentences under two years for first-time offenders.