Shakira Could Face 8 Years In Spanish Prison & Here's How Much It Might Cost Her

It's been a rough year for Shakira.

Shakira. Right: Shakira and a friend.

Shakira. Right: Shakira and a friend.

Global Staff Writer

On Tuesday, Colombian pop singer Shakira was asked to stand trial by a Spanish court for tax fraud.

The Hips Don't Lie singer is accused of not paying €14.5 million in taxes to the Spanish government between 2012 and 2014 while allegedly living in the country, reported Reuters. That's the rough equivalent of USD 15 million or approximately CAD 19 million today.

What are the charges against Shakira?

The allegations revolve around Shakira's Spanish citizenship. She has been accused of living in Spain and simply not paying taxes for two years, although she's denied ever calling the country home.

The famous singer, 45, has denied ever living in Spain and refused to settle the case earlier this week. She has instead decided to let it go to trial.

Shakira faces six charges in total, and prosecutors say she should spend eight years and two months in prison if convicted, reported The Associated Press. They're also calling for her to face a €23-million fine.

Her reps told Billboard in a statement that she "trusts her innocence and chooses to leave the issue in the hands of the law." They also say that she's sent the amount she owes to the Spanish Tax Agency and has no pending tax debts.

A document from the prosecutor's office obtained by Reuters claims that Shakira was an ordinary citizen in Spain between 2012 and 2014.

The document also alleges that she bought a home in Barcelona in 2012 and lived there with her partner and her son, who was born there in 2013.

What could it cost Shakira?

Spanish prosecutors have recommend a sentence of more than eight years, in addition to a hefty fine of over €23 million (USD 23.5 million), local outlet El País reported earlier this summer.

Tax evasion, under Spanish law, is an umbrella term for failing to pay taxes, not declaring corresponding taxes, obtaining undue tax advantages, and obtaining refunds without them corresponding.

Spain's revised Anti-Tax Fraud Law was introduced last year.

The penalties, as per Spanish outlet Marca, vary between one and five years in prison, accompanied by a fine of up to six times the amount of money involved.

Are Shakira and Pique together?

The case comes shortly after Shakira separated from Barcelona soccer star Gerard Pique earlier this year. The star couple stayed together for 11 years and also share two children.

They were recently spotted sitting separately at one of their sons, Milan's baseball game in Barcelona.

TMZ reported that they didn't even look at each other the entire game. "It wasn't until their son was saying his goodbyes after the game that they got close."

While Shakira is said to be 'still going through it,' Pique has been publicly pictured with new love interest, Clara Chia, 23, who is an administrative worker.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on July 29, 2022 and was updated to reflect new developments in the case

  • Sameen Chaudhry (she/her) was a Toronto-based Staff Writer for Narcity's Global Desk. She has a Bachelor of Arts and Science from the University of Toronto, where she majored in political science and philosophy. Before joining Narcity, she wrote for 6ixBuzzTV, covering topics like Toronto's music scene, local real estate stories, and breaking news.

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