Shakira set to face trial in Spain for tax evasion

nme.com:

Shakira is set to face trial in Spain for tax evasion after being accused of failing to pay $13.9million (£13m) in taxes between 2012 and 2014.Authorities are seeking an eight-year prison sentence for the singer on the allegation that she made widespread use of shell companies to conceal her income made between 2012 and 2014.In a recent response – her first since the claims became public — Shakira claimed her innocence and deemed the charges “fictional.”In a new interview with Elle she said: “As of today, I owe zero to them.” Shakira went on to explain her confidence in being transparent about her earnings, since she “was advised by one of the four biggest tax specialist firms in the world, PricewaterhouseCoopers.”Yesterday (September 27), a Spanish judge approved a trial for the case, with prosecutors seeking an eight-year prison sentence.

Shakira’s representatives say she has paid everything she owed to the government, with €3m (£2.6m) on top in interest.A date for the trial has not yet been set.In the Elle interview, Shakira claimed that the allegations – which she deemed “false” and “without evidence” – are an attempt by the Spanish government “to coerce settlement agreements” via “a salacious press campaign” and the “the threat of reputational damage.” The singer also described such claims as commonplace among her country’s tax authorities, saying that “it’s just their style.”“It is well known that the Spanish tax authorities do this often not only with celebrities like me, it also happens unjustly to the regular taxpayer,” she said. “It’s just their style.

But I’m confident that I have enough proof to support my case and that justice will prevail in my favour.” In July of this year, Shakira rejected a settlement.