Back when Shakira was with Gerard Pique, she owned a home in Barcelona and that was her main residence and where she raised her children. She also owns homes in her home country of Colombia, the US, Uruguay and other countries. Now that Shakira and Pique are over, she’s moved to Miami full-time and she’s cut her ties with Spain. Except the Spanish tax authorities are still trying to drag her to court over her time spent in Barcelona. This has been going on for a few years now and, from the beginning, it sounded like the Spanish tax authorities are the scammers, not Shakira. Even by the most basic Spanish reporting on the issue, Shakira paid what she owed plus interest. Shakira has also spoken about the tax issue at length in interviews, getting very specific about how many days a year she spent in Spain and how thorough her tax specialists are – she’s worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers for years. Well, funny story…
Shakira is facing a second tax fraud case in Spain. Almost 10 months after the singer, 46, was ordered to stand trial in her $13.9 million tax evasion case in the country, she has now been hit with another investigation.
According to Reuters, a Spanish court said Thursday that it has started a new investigation against the Colombian star linked to alleged fraud on personal income tax and wealth tax in 2018. The court, which is in the town of Esplugues de Llobregat near Barcelona, said it had no information on how much money was in question, according to the Associated Press.
Per a translation from Spanish media outlet El Pais, the court opened a second case as a result of a complaint by the Barcelona Economic Crimes Prosecutor regarding Shakira allegedly defrauding the Tax Agency. Another local outlet, El Periodico, reported that the prosecutor’s office has filed a complaint for two alleged tax crimes.
A representative for Shakira told PEOPLE in a statement Thursday that she “defends having always acted in accordance with the law and under the advice of the best tax experts. She is now focused on her life as an artist in Miami and is confident that there will be a favorable resolution of her tax issues.”
Her representative also said she is yet to receive any formal notification of the second probe regarding the 2018 financial year. The statement continued. “The singer’s legal team will not make any comments until the notification reaches them through the official and legally established channels.”
“As it is publicly known, and as the Spanish Treasury was officially notified, Shakira is now living in Miami, so she must be notified personally at her new address, in strict accordance with the provisions of the Law.”
[From People]
I feel sorry for Shakira and I’m glad she got the hell out of Spain. They’re trying to make an example out of her, they’re trying to tie her up in court for years, they’re trying to wear her down and jam her up. It also looks like they’re mad that she left the country. It’s very Meghan Markle-coded, right? The anger towards a “foreigner,” the otherizing, the need to make an example out of her. Shakira has been handling all of this the right way, in my opinion – she’s been open about what they’re doing and she’s provided details through her reps and in her own interviews. She also believes that the Spanish government has executed a smear campaign against her, and it’s easy to see why she believes that.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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