A Spanish judge has ordered Colombian pop music sensation Shakira to stand trial in person for tax evasion.
Shakira will have to face the music in court, rather than standing behind her legal team, thanks to a ruling that will force her to attend court in the town of Esplugues de Llobregat near Barcelona, according to The Associated Press. She stands accused of failure to pay $13.9 million in taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014, and could face up to 8 years behind bars if convicted, according to The Associated Press.
Shakira is going to trial over her tax fraud in Spain, and the singer could be facing serious jail time if found guilty. https://t.co/WvP9V4sgBT
— TMZ (@TMZ) September 27, 2022
Shakira is facing six counts of tax fraud. The biggest point of contention in this case seems to be her place of residence in the timeframe of the alleged offense.
Shakira has firmly denied any wrongdoing in this matter. Her legal team claims she paid her dues as well as an additional $2.8 million in interest. The star also rejected a plea deal from the authorities to avoid attending court in person, according to The Associated Press.
The prosecution is also seeking a hefty fine alongside the prison year sentence she is already facing. (RELATED: Fox News’ Hemmer, Perino Argue With Biden’s Economic Adviser Over Tax Evaders)
Shakira faces serious jail time for alleged tax fraud over in Spain.https://t.co/7mcTrqHiAX
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) September 27, 2022
Prosecutors argue the star lived in Barcelona for more than half of the time correlated with the charges. Shakira, however, denies this, claiming her main residence during the 2012-2014 period was in the Bahamas. Thus she believes she should not have paid taxes in Spain, according to The Associated Press.
A court date has not yet been set for this matter.