Shakira Makes New Claims Against The Spanish Government

Shakira has had a rough go of it since the Spanish government accused her of tax evasion – but the singer isn't going down without a fight. 

Shakira has reportedly been under investigation by Spanish authorities since 2018. The AP reports that prosecutors filed charges against the Colombian musician after she failed to pay $16.4 million in taxes between 2012 and 2014. Shakira has maintained her innocence, claiming that she wasn't a legal resident of the country until 2015 and thus wasn't guilty of any wrongdoing. However, her legal woes have only gotten more serious, as prosecutors have suggested she be jailed for eight years for her alleged crimes. According to Insider, Shakira will take her case to trial after rejecting a plea agreement offered by the Spanish authorities in 2022. The singer "trusts her innocence and chooses to leave the issue in the hands of the law," her PR firm announced in a statement. 

That Shakira is adamant about having her day in court isn't all that surprising. After all, sources close to the singer told People that she believes prosecutors trumped up the charges to intimate taxpayers in the country — calling her a high-profile "scapegoat." Four years on, and the singer is doubling down on those claims.

Shakira has come forward in a scathing rebuke of Spanish tax authorities, claiming she is being "persecuted" over her tax evasion case. 

In a statement obtained by Metro, the singer argued that tax authorities had "violated [her] right to privacy" and had handled her case without a presumption of innocence. "It is unacceptable that, in its accusation, the tax authorities are not respecting the legal certainty that must be guaranteed to any taxpayer," the statement said. "They are trying to damage a reputation earned with the work of many years... in my case they have violated my right to privacy and the presumption of innocence, basic rights of any citizen." The singer's PR team further accused prosecutors of going to great lengths to find her guilty — including some "unacceptable methods to damage her reputation and force her to come to a settlement agreement." Marca reports that these methods have included "requests to medical centers to obtain reserved information such as appointments and exams results." 

It's worth reiterating that the stakes are high for Shakira, who could end up behind bars for up to eight years. That said, it's clear that the hitmaker is intent on clearing her name. As she told Elle in September, "The Spanish tax authorities do this often not only with celebrities like me ... it also happens unjustly to the regular taxpayer. It's just their style."