Fresh from her triple win at the recently held Latin Grammy awards, Shakira has reached a last-minute deal with Spanish prosecutors, settling a tax evasion case that accused her of not paying over 14.5 million euros in income taxes between 2012 and 2014. As part of the agreement, she will receive a three-year suspended sentence and pay a fine of 7.3 million euros. The settlement comes after rejecting a previous deal in July 2022, where prosecutors initially sought an eight-year prison sentence and a fine of 24 million euros.
While maintaining her innocence, the Latin music superstar decided to resolve the matter to prioritize her family’s well-being. She stated, “While I was determined to defend my innocence in a trial that my lawyers were confident would have ruled in my favor, I have made the decision to finally resolve this matter with the best interest of my kids at heart who do not want to see their mom sacrifice her personal well-being in this fight.”
In exchange for having her sentence waived, Shakira will have to pay an additional 432,000 euros. Her legal record will also reflect that she was found guilty of tax fraud, potentially impacting other tax evasion charges she still faces. According to Spanish law, anyone living in the country for more than six months is considered a resident and must pay taxes.
Shakira’s attorneys argued that the singer spent long stretches away from the country during that time, including extended periods in the United States as part of the coaching and judging panel on NBC’s “The Voice.” In September, Spanish authorities charged her with alleged tax evasion on her 2018 income.
Despite the tax issues, Shakira had a successful 2023, receiving a Video Vanguard honor at the MTV Video Music Awards and winning a Latin Grammy for the song of the year for her record-breaking collaboration with Argentine DJ Bizarrap. The song, a diss track aimed at her ex-partner Gerard Piqué, contributed to her victorious year, making her the first South American artist to win the lifetime achievement award. The couple announced their separation in June 2022 after 11 years together amid rumors of infidelity. Last week, Sergio Ramos, Piqué’s on-field rival, presented Shakira with the Latin Grammy award in front of their two sons.
Her Collab TQG with Karol G is the most viewed music video on YouTube for 2023 surpassing 800 million views.
