Shakira refuses to reach a settlement with the Spanish judiciary over the charges against her for tax evasion. Local media reported that there will therefore be a criminal trial against her. Shakira, 45, maintains that she has done nothing wrong and does not owe 14.5 million euros in income tax in Spain over the years 2012-2014, because she did not live there at the time. It has not been disclosed what the judiciary had proposed as a settlement amount.
The Spanish tax authorities have already offered a settlement, but Shakira does not pay a cent. According to the prosecutors, the wealthy singer with a network of at least fourteen companies has hidden income from the Spanish tax authorities. She is said to have spent more than half of every year in Spain during the years 2012-2014. Shakira’s lawyers say she lived in the Bahamas and only moved to Spain in 2015. She had been in a relationship since 2011 with Spanish footballer Gerard Piqué, who is from Barcelona and who plays for FC Barcelona. They have two children. According to prosecutors, Shakira once bought a house in the Bahamas, but did not spend a day there in the 2012-2014 tax years.
Shakira’s relationship with Piqué has recently broken down and the tax issue is no longer the only legal issue for Shakira in Spain. She is currently working on a divorce. Both have indicated that they want to arrange this on good terms in the interest of the children, as far as possible without publicity. According to Spanish media, Shakira wants, among other things, the custody of the children and move to Miami with the offspring. She would then bear all the costs of raising the children and pay her ex at least five first-class round trips to Miami a year.