Shakira under investigation in second tax fraud case

A Spanish court has opened a new probe into Colombian music superstar Shakira for alleged income tax fraud.

The 46-year-old “Hips don’t Lie” singer, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, is already due to stand trial at the end of the year in Spain for allegedly failing to pay 14.5 million euros ($16.3m) in taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014.

On Thursday, a court in the northeastern town of Esplugues de Llobregat near Barcelona said it had agreed with prosecutors to investigate two possible cases of tax fraud by Shakira from 2018.

Shakira 49th Annual Grammy Awards - Show — Shakira onstage at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center on February 11, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Getty Images)

The court did not provide further details in its statement.

Her representatives said she has not yet been notified of the new investigation, which they said she learned about through the media.

“As she has already said on numerous occasions, Shakira maintains she has always acted in accordance with the law and under the advice of the best tax experts,” they said in a statement.

“She is now focused on her artistic life in Miami and is calm and confident that her tax matters will be resolved favorably.”

Shakira Live 8 Paris — Singer Shakira performs on stage during “Live 8 Paris” at the Palais de Versailles on July 2, 2005 in Paris, France. The free concert is one of ten simultaneous international gigs including Philadelphia, Berlin, Rome, London, Barrie, Tokyo, Cornwall, Moscow and Johannesburg. The concerts precede the G8 summit (July 6-8) to raise awareness for MAKEpovertyHISTORY. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Prosecutors have requested an eight-year sentence and fine of 24 million euros ($26.9m) in the first case after Shakira rejected a plea deal over the accusations of tax evasion.

That case centers on where the singer lived between 2012 and 2014.

Prosecutors say Shakira moved to Spain in 2011 when her relationship with FC Barcelona defender Gerard Pique became public, but maintained official tax residency in the Bahamas until 2015.

Shakira FC Barcelona v Real Sociedad de Futbol - La Liga — Shakira at Camp Nou on November 28, 2015 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Getty Images)

Shakira’s lawyers have said that until 2014 she earned most of her money from international tours and moved to Spain full-time only in 2015, and has met all her tax obligations.

The singer has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and claims she owes nothing to the Spanish tax office.

The Latina superstar was named in one of the largest-ever leaks of financial documents in October 2021, known as the “Pandora Papers,” as a public figure linked to offshore assets.

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