Shakira rejects settlement offer in Spanish tax fraud case
MADRID: Shakira, a celebrity of Latin America, turned down the prosecutor’s offer of a settlement in her 14.5 million euro Spanish tax fraud case, moving the matter closer to trial, her media team announced on Wednesday.
According to a statement, the Colombian singer, who has sold more than 80 million records worldwide with classics including
“Hips Don’t Lie” – has always met all of her tax obligations, a statement said. She considers the case “a total violation of her rights,” it said.
“The singer is fully confident of her innocence and therefore does not accept a settlement,” the statement said.
The planned settlement’s terms weren’t made public.
A request for comment from the Barcelona prosecutor’s office was not answered.
According to Shakira’s counsel, she did not reside in Spain between 2012 and 2014, when she is accused of failing to pay 14.5 million euros ($14.7 million) in tax income.
The 45-year-old singer, known as “the Queen of Latin Music,” claims to have relocated to Barcelona in 2015, where she shared a residence with defender Gerard Pique of soccer team FC Barcelona. They just separated and have two kids.
Shakira claims that despite disagreements within her legal team regarding the purported debt, she paid the 17.2 million euros that the Spanish tax office claimed she owed, ending any outstanding obligation she may have had with the government.