Shakira charged with tax evasion for a second time

Shakira has been charged with tax evasion in Spain for the second time.

Barcelona prosecutors claimed today (September 26) that Shakira had failed to pay 6.7million euros (£5.8 million) in tax on her income in 2018. The singer is alleged to have avoided paying the taxes by using an offshore company based in a tax haven.

According to the prosecutors’ statement, Shakira has been notified of the charges from Miami, where she recently relocated following her divorce from footballer Gerard Piqué.

She has strenuously denied all allegations. In July, when the investigation was opened, her representatives have claimed that she “has always cooperated and abided by the law, demonstrating impeccable conduct as an individual and a taxpayer, and faithfully following the counsel of PriceWaterhouse Coopers, a prestigious and globally recognized tax firm.”

Her representatives added: “Unfortunately, the Spanish Tax Office, which loses one out of every two lawsuits with its taxpayers, continues to violate her rights and pursue yet another baseless case. Shakira is confident that her innocence will be proven by the end of the judicial process.”

The singer was first charged with tax fraud in July 2021, when Barcelona prosecutors alleged she should have been paying tax because she was living in Spain for over half the year between 2012 and 2014. She is set to stand trial in Barcelona for these charges of tax fraud in November.

In that case, prosecutors allege she owes 14.5million euros (£12.6 million) in tax. If convicted, she reportedly faces up to eight years in prison as well as a large fine.

Shakira has maintained that her fiscal residence at the time was in the Bahamas and described the claims as “fictional”, saying she had paid what she had owed.

Her recent viral hit ‘Bzrp Music Sessions 53’ made reference to the situation. The song, which is thought by some to hit out at her ex-husband Gerard Pique, mentions (as translated into English) being left with “your mum as a neighbour, the press at the door and a debt with the taxman.” The Spain-based Pique is not involved in the tax charges made against Shakira.

Earlier this month, Shakira crowdsurfed as she collected the Video Vanguard award at the 2023 MTV VMAs. She performed at the ceremony before picking up the trophy, delivering an extended medley featuring some of her biggest hits in both English and Spanish.