Oh, Shakira Might Be Going To Jail
Spanish prosecutors are calling for a prison term of more than eight years.
Prosecutors in Spain are attempting to put Shakira in prison for eight long years, accusing the Colombian singer of tax evasion and fraud.
Here’s a quick rundown of how we — or should we say, Shakira — got here.
What Are The Accusations?
The charges arose from a disagreement around Shakira’s country of residence between 2012 and 2014. She was living with soccer player Gerard Piqué in Spain at the time, and spending most of her time in the country. However, she says she was officially a resident of The Bahamas at the time.
The Spanish government, however, reckons she was actually a resident of Spain for tax purposes — they allege she spent more than 200 days in the country in each of those years, and that an individual who stays in the country for 184 days is a financial resident by law.
Also being alleged is that the singer used offshore tax havens in an attempt to hide the sources of her income, as was revealed by a leak of financial documents known as The Pandora Papers.
This means Spanish prosecutors are alleging she owes their government around 14.5 million euros in tax (approximately $21 million AUD).
These findings were first published by the Spanish-language newspaper El País in 2020.
How Has Shakira Responded?
The singer reportedly rejected a plea deal earlier this week, and a statement seen by Reuters suggests that Shakira sees the proceedings as a “complete violation of her rights” and that she is “fully confident of her innocence.”
She has also previously insisted that she’s paid back the debt the Spanish government are saying she owes them, along with interest.
So Is Shakira Going To Prison Or Not?
Maybe! Last year a Spanish judge found that there was enough evidence for the matter to go to pursue tax fraud charges against the singer in court. Junkee does not suggest Shakira is guilty of any wrongdoing.
No date for a trial has been set as of yet, but Spanish prosecutors are reportedly calling for a prison term for more than eight years and fine of about $23 million euros.
We wait — with vague interest — for an outcome.
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