The international singer Shakira has become the highlight of the day for all the wrong reasons. She has allegedly been avoiding tax payments, and thus Barcelona court has ordered a trial against her for reportedly committing six tax crimes. The celebrity has repeatedly denied the accusation and claimed that she has proof which can justify her innocence while giving an interview to a magazine. Shakira’s prosecutor has tried to build a strong case against her on the grounds of her residential whereabouts. However, her legal team has something up their sleeves which will be disclosed at the right time.
Shakira Court Trial and Allegations
Spanish authorities have found Shakira guilty of Tax evasion while residing in the country for over 2 years. According to them, the Waka Waka singer has failed to pay €14.5m. The prosecutors in Spain accused the star of withholding the tax money from 2012 to 2014. According to Spanish law, anyone who spends six months in the region is lawfully bound to pay tax as it makes the person a resident. The accusation against Shakira is that she resided in Spain while her actual residence was in the Bahamas. The opposition issued a document according to which the celebrity had bought a house in Barcelona and made it her family home. The authorities said she mainly lived in Spain but didn’t pay taxes. The prosecutor wants her to serve eight years in jail and pay 23.8 million euros.
Shakira’s Legal Team Has Proof
The 45 years old celebrity singer denied all the allegations and stated while interviewing for Elle magazine’s Spanish edition that she had evidence to support her case. Previously, the prosecutors offered her a deal, reportedly, but she refused it and decided to go with the trial. The legal team of Singer Shakira said that she spent most of the time outside Spain, and her income came from international tours mostly. The superstar told the magazine that Spanish tax authorities witnessed her relationship with a Spanish person and saw it as an opportunity as they were after the money. In 2015, she declared Spain her residential region and paid €17.2m. The star said she has no pending debts and had already paid the tax in 2015.
The Trial
Barcelona court has decided to have the trial to see if she’s guilty or not. However, there is no date finalized or disclosed yet for the singer’s big day. It seems the singer is trending on social media again like before when the Internet responded with memes to Shakira’s tax fraud controversy. The celebrity is once again everywhere on social media as many support her. The trollers are making memes, and critics are declaring her guilty.
