There are very few people who have not grooved their bodies with the famous pop star Shakira’s Waka Waka. However, the Colombian singer is currently making the headlines for an entirely different reason. She is accused of a massive 12 million pounds of tax fraud. Sounds shocking, right? Well, it is true. Shakira will face up to eight years in jail if the court finds her guilty. This is indeed big news. All her fan community is currently in shock after this news became public.
As per the sources, the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer is all over the news now because of this issue. So she is charged with defrauding the Spanish treasury out of millions over three years between 2012 and 2014. Therefore, Spanish prosecutors are now pushing for the highest-possible sentence for six separate counts of tax fraud. The total comes to around 14.5 million euros.
So would you like to know more about the high-profile case in detail? Stay tuned to our article to know the recent updates regarding this matter. Let us share some of the significant details of the court case of the famous pop star.
Some Relevant Details of The Matter
As you know, Shakira became famous with her 2001 hit “Wherever, Wherever.” She is now accused of pretending to live abroad to avoid paying taxes despite moving to Barcelona in 2011 to be with her ex-partner, Spanish defender Gerard Pique. However, as per the sources, the singer has paid out three million euros to the Spanish government.
But you must know that Shakira or Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll split with the Barcelona star Pique earlier this year. Therefore, naturally, the question is why she is living in Barcelona after that. As per the sources, the paparazzi filmed Pique with a glum face, apparently listening to Shakira in his car just a month after the couple broke up. There were allegations from Shakira’s side that the footballer cheated on her.
Do you know when the couple met each other? Well, it was a long time back in 2010 while filming her music video for the World Cup song Waka Waka in South Africa. Needless to say, this song made her an international sensation instantly. The celebrity couple started dating each other shortly after Spain won the World Cup in South Africa that year.
What Might Be The Probable Cause for Shakira Not Paying The Taxes To The Spanish Government?
As per the sources, the last few weeks have indeed been difficult for the former couple. They are said to spend the last few weeks negotiating the future of their two children since Shakira wants to move to Miami with them. However, the problem is that Shakira was previously a tax resident in the Bahamas and was registered as a full tax-paying resident in Spain in 2015.
So all official residents in Spain have to pay the Spanish government the taxes on any income they receive overseas. At the same time, people who spend more than 183 days in a given calendar year in Spain will be considered Spanish residents. Therefore, they will have to pay taxes to the Spanish government to escape the penalty.
What are The Spanish Tax Inspectors Doing Now?
You will be surprised to know that the tax inspectors have spent more than a year checking up on Shakira. In fact, they have also visited her favorite hairdressers in Barcelona and checked her social media to show that she spent most of her three years in dispute in Spain.
Furthermore, they concluded she had spent 242 days in Spain in 2012, 212 days in 2013, and 243 days in the country in 2014. However, the world-famous singer, who has sold more than 80 million records worldwide, denies all the accusations. In fact, according to her legal representatives, she is quite confident that she will be able to prove her innocence by the end of the judicial process.
Check Out what Shakira Representatives Have To Say Regarding The High-Profile Case
Needless to say, this case is one of the high-profile ones. Therefore, people all over the world are waiting eagerly to know what verdict comes. No one wants to see the beautiful singer behind bars. Let us now check out what Shakira’s legal representatives say about their client.
According to them, “Shakira 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.” However, the Spanish Tax Office, which has a bad reputation of losing one out of every two lawsuits with its taxpayers, continues to violate her rights and pursue yet another baseless case.
But the pop star is pretty confident that she will win the case and will be able to prove her innocence in court. As per the sources, Shakira’s net worth last year was around $350 million, which amounts to 288 million euros.
What Is The Current Condition of The Legal Proceedings?
Many of you might be curious to know the present status of the court proceedings, right? Well, currently, things are a bit tense for the Colombian pop star. However, we hope things will resolve soon. Pretty recently, her PR firm Llorente y Cuenca said in a statement that she believes in her innocence. In fact, she has also opted to leave the issue in the hands of the law. She has complete faith in the law.
However, per the sources, there has been no official date that the Spanish government has agreed upon for Shakira’s case. We hope that they soon announce the date so that Shakira and her legal team can get enough time to prepare themselves.
This is indeed going to be a big deal for her career. She has to try every means to resolve the case with the Spanish government; otherwise, she will have to face dreadful consequences. Spending eight years in prison will indeed be a big blow to her career. Therefore, she needs to gather enough proof to help the case go in her favor.
Ending Note
So as we conclude, we can say that Shakira has been one of the most popular singers since the early 2000s. Her fan followers are spread all over the world. Therefore, all of them are waiting to see the verdict for her case. None of us have wanted to see our favorite “Waka Waka” singer behind bars for a long time. Therefore, we hope that the matter is solved.
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