OAN’s James Meyers
1:45 PM – Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Colombian singer and entertainer Shakira has been accused of tax fraud again, but this time for millions of dollars.
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On Tuesday, the notable performer was accused by prosecutors in Spain of skipping out on $7.1 million in taxes on her 2018 income report.
According to the complaint, the singer excluded $14 million of her earnings from the 2018 fiscal year and abstracted $5.8 million in false expenses “thus managing to reduce the amount to be paid to the State Administration of the Tax Agency.”
The singer, whose full legal name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, allegedly used an offshore tax account to commit tax evasion, according to Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo.
The entertainer was notified of the charges in Miami, Florida, where she currently resides, according to the statement.
The singer is now due in court on November 20th on six counts of tax fraud for allegedly failing to pay an estimated $15.4 million in taxes between 2012 and 2014.
Prosecutors claimed that in 2018 she lived in Spain for more than half the year and therefore should have paid the country’s income taxes. However, she claims that she was in the Bahamas during that time.
She reportedly left in April of this year to move to Miami following her split from former Spanish soccer player Gerard Pique.
If she is found guilty on all six tax fraud counts, she faces up to eight years in prison, according to El Mundo.
Spanish tax authorities have cracked down over the past few years on celebrities. Soccer stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were found guilty of tax evasion in 2017 and 2019.
Yet, both players were able to avoid time behind bars due to a provision in Spain that allows judges to waive sentences under two years for first-time offenders. However, they were still ordered to pay their fines in order to have their sentences thrown out.
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