Colombian singer, Shakira, has been charged by officials in Spain with tax evasion. It is alleged that the pop artist, who is also the founder of the Bare Foot Foundation–a charity to help impoverished children–avoided paying approximately £13m (€14.5m) in taxes by claiming the Bahamas as her legal residence. Prosecutors have charged the philanthropist and singer with tax evasion, stating that her physical residence was actually Catalonia, Spain.
In 2015, Shakira stated that she changed residences to Barcelona from the Bahamas and now resides in the former with her partner, Gerard Piqué, a Barcelona football player, and their two sons.
However, Spanish prosecutors allege that the singer lived in Catalonia from 2012 to 2014, and that taxes are owed to Spain on her international income for that 24 month period. They claim she resided in Spain for the majority of those years, only traveling internationally on a short-term basis to perform or to complete duties regarding her charity.
Spanish judicial authorities recently announced their decision; however, the investigation was launched approximately eleven months ago when they first suspected the alleged tax fraud. Shakira’s representatives declined to comment when asked for a statement by the Associated Press.
In 2017, Shakira was mentioned in the “Paradise Papers,” a published investigation of offshore finance conducted by the Guardian and similar news organizations. Information in the Papers indicated that the singer was living in Barcelona, but had listed herself as a Bahamas resident.
In reference to the Paradise Papers, Shakira’s lawyer said the performer had lived in numerous places during her career, but always complied with the laws of the regions in which she resided at any given time. It is not yet known if the singer plans to hire a tax attorney or seek additional legal counsel concerning the tax issue. It is now up to a judge to determine whether or not there is sufficient evidence to put Shakira on trial for tax evasion.
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