Shakira to stand trial for tax fraud in Spain | outside football

Colombian singer Shakira rejected the agreement presented by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Spain to avoid prosecution for four crimes against the public treasury and decided to appear in court for alleged tax fraud, given that she “fully” trusts her innocence.

According to what was reported by the artist’s communication agency, Wednesday, her legal team held talks with the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Barcelona (Northeast) to reach an agreement that would reduce the punishment that could belong to her, but decided to reject the last offer from the Public Prosecution Office.

Shakira confirmed in a statement that she had chosen to “leave the case in the hands of the law, with peace of mind and confidence that justice will prove her right.” Despite the fact that the prosecution and defense did not reach a conformity agreement, which did not prevent Shakira from sitting on the podium, the singer could still agree with the prosecutor’s office until the day of the trial.

The statement highlighted that his will has always been to proceed with criminal proceedings, without accepting a reduced sentence that could correspond with him. For the singer, this case is a “complete violation” of her rights, as she has always shown “impeccable behavior, both as a person and as a taxpayer, and a complete readiness to settle any dispute from the very beginning, even before criminal proceedings.”

“Still not agreeing” with her legal team’s criteria for the alleged tax fraud, the artist returned 17.2 million euros to the Spanish Treasury, the alleged amount plus interest, and “for many years there were no outstanding debts,” he recalled.

Shakira regrets that she has “never encountered” in any other country “such unreasonable and vicious persecution,” “nor the apparent use of media and reputation pressure as a collection mechanism.” The Spanish Treasury claimed around €14.5 million when it saw indications that the singer was actually residing in Spain in 2012 and had been obligated to pay taxes in that country since then, but he allegedly hid the income through a network based in tax havens.

The artist has already paid 14.5 million euros and three more in interest, which does not prevent her from appearing in court for alleged tax fraud between 2012 and 2014. The case dates back to 2017, when the so-called “Paradise Papers”, an investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), was conducted, She revealed that she lived in Barcelona with her husband, Barcelona footballer, Gerard Pique, and their two children, but she is presumably a resident of the tax haven in the Bahamas.

Last month, the artist announced her separation from the player, her partner for the past twelve years. The investigation also confirmed that the singer managed in two tax-privileged countries, Malta and Luxembourg, about 31.6 million euros for the copyrights to her songs. The singer’s lawyers explained that she has lived in the Bahamas since 2004 but in the following years she had to travel “non-stop”, until 2015 her presence in Spain did not exceed the period that required her to pay taxes and that the management of those millions that has been implemented since 2007 through a Maltese company Comply with all legal requirements.