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Shakira ‘faces eight years in jail’ after being ordered to stand trial for tax fraud allegations

Shakira is facing up to eight years in jail after being ordered to stand trial amid allegations of tax fraud.

The 45-year-old Colombian singer has been accused of not paying taxes in Spain in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and is has now been revealed that six prosecutors have convinced a Spanish court to bring the singer to trial.

In 2021, she was accused by these prosecutors, who are seeking a eight-year jail sentence, of using shell companies to conceal control of assets between 2012 and 2014. She has also been accused of putting her name on forms only in countries considered tax havens.

In total, the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer is alleged to have evaded €14.5m (£13m) in tax.

Shakira has called all allegations against her “false,” adding that she has paid everything that she owed to the government.

She claimed that, between 2012 and 2014, her fiscal residence was in the Bahamas so she was exempt from having to pay Spanish income tax.

The singer also claimed she was in Spain “sporadically” during that time, but prosecutors argued that she was actually living in Barcelona for more than six months of the year.

If she is found guilty, the singer faces prison time.

Shakira has denied all allegations of tax fraud (Getty Images)
Shakira has denied all allegations of tax fraud (Getty Images)

Shakira made her recording debut aged 13, and found international fame with her fifth album, Laundry Service, in 2001. It featured the singles “Whenever, Wherever” and “Underneath Your Clothes”.

Since then, she’s performed official World Cup song "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)", served as a coach on two seasons of The Voice in the US and performed the Super Bowl halftime show alongside Jennifer Lopez.