Barcelona Provincial Court to indict Shakira on charges of tax fraud amounting to €14.5 million

The Barcelona Provincial Court indicted the international Colombian singer, Shakira, on Thursday, on charges of tax fraud amounting to €14.5 million. The court considers the artist to have lived in Catalonia between 2012 and 2014 and therefore should have paid taxes in Spain. 

The court has rejected the request from the artist to archive the complaint as judges believe there is enough evidence to prove Shakira lived in Catalonia at the time after starting a relationship with FC Barcelona player, Gerard Piqué. 

Judges from the Barcelona provincial court consider there to be six tax offenses regarding the personal income tax (IRPF) and the wealth tax, despite the defendant claiming she followed experts’ recommendations. 

On Thursday, the court also decided to archive the complaint against Shakira’s lawyer and tax adviser, Ezequiel A.C.

The prosecution and the Spanish tax authorities understand that Shakira created several companies in tax havens to avoid paying taxes despite living more than half a year in Spain. The judge believes that the singer did not pay taxes in 2012, despite living in the territory for 243 days, in 2013 when she spent 212 days in Spain, and in 2014 when Shakira stayed for 244 days. 

The law stipulates that residents who live in Spain for 183 days or more must pay tax. The judge considers the other days "sporadic absences," therefore the pop star avoided paying €12.3 million in IRPF taxes and around €2.2 million in wealth taxes.

According to Shakira’s lawyers, the singer does not have any more debt with the Spanish tax agency as she already paid the requested €17.3 million that she owed. She paid "as soon as she learned the figure she had to pay to tax authorities," the lawyers explained.