Shakira charged with tax evasion in Spain for second time as prosecutors demand £5.75m

‘Hips Don’t Lie’ singer is accused of using an offshore tax haven

Shakira has been hit with another tax evasion case in Spain.

Prosecutors have charged the pop star, 46, with failing to pay €6.7m (£5.74m) in tax on her 2018 income, authorities said on Tuesday (26 September).

Shakira is alleged to have used an offshore company based in a tax haven to avoid paying the tax, Barcelona prosecutors said in a statement.

She has been notified of the charges in Miami, where she lives, according to the statement. The public relations firm that previously handled Shakira’s affairs, Llorente y Cuenca, made no immediate comment.

The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer is already due to stand trial later this year after allegedly evading €14.5m (£12.6m) in tax based on where she lived between 2012 and 2014.

Prosecutors in Barcelona have alleged the Grammy winner spent more than half of that two-year period in Spain and, therefore, should have paid taxes in the country, even though her official residence was in the Bahamas.

Spanish tax officials opened the latest case against Shakira last July. After reviewing the evidence gathered over the last two months, prosecutors have decided to bring charges. No date for a trial was set.

Colombian singer Shakira leaves court in Barcelona on 1 December, 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)

Shakira denied the allegations pertaining to 2012-2014, calling them “false” and saying that she has paid everything she owes to the government.

“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 in an interview in September 2022.

“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.”

Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, has been linked to Spain since she started dating the now-retired football player Gerard Piqué. The couple, who have two children, lived together in Barcelona until last year, when they ended their 11-year relationship.

Spain tax authorities have, over the past decade or so, cracked down on football stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for not paying their full due in taxes. Those players were found guilty of tax evasion but avoided prison time thanks to a provision that allows a judge to waive sentences under two years in length for first-time offenders.

In July 2021, a judge ruled that there were “sufficient indications” for Shakira to go to trial. If found guilty, she could face up to eight years in jail.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press