Her hips may not lie, but her credit score certainly does.
Colombian pop singer Shakira (born Shakira Ripoll), was charged with tax evasion by Spanish prosecutors on Friday. They claimed she had not paid more than $21 million in taxes between 2012 and 2014. She has since denied those claims.
Despite the fact she was residing with her professional soccer-playing boyfriend, Gerard Pique, in Barcelona between 2012 and 2014, the 41-year-old listed the Bahamas as the location of her residence during that time.
Shakira officially moved to Spain in 2015 to be with Pique and their two children, Milan, 5 and Sasha, 3.
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Following the allegations, Shakira fired back at the government in a statement claiming she “owed nothing” to the Spanish tax authorities. She further accused them as using her as bait to scare other tax evaders into coming clean on their crimes.
As of this writing, Shakira’s appeal has not been addressed, however, a magistrate is set to decide whether there is enough evidence to go forward with a trial. She may be required to fork over more than $21 million in the new year to make up for “committing tax fraud.”
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Although she travels a lot due to touring commitments, the authorities demanded Shakira pay what she owes to the Spanish government since she technically spent most of that time living there — this also means she is required to pay additional taxes on her overall income worldwide.
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The “Paradise Papers” which leaked in early November detailed the “offshore” tax arrangements of many celebrities, politicians and powerful figures, including The Queen, Madonna and U2′s Bono.
The documents were obtained by German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung and investigated by Spanish news website El Confidencial.
Many took to Twitter upon hearing the news to mock the iconic singer in her “acts of crime.”
https://twitter.com/taber/status/1073654113278328832
https://twitter.com/MICAHKEALE/status/1073651477862768640
https://twitter.com/skglas/status/1073640551117930497
https://twitter.com/sofeacola/status/1073658118150606848
The prosecutors are demanding Shakira pay an additional 33 per cent in what she owes, in accordance with Spanish laws. If she does not comply, then they will freeze her assets of the total amount she owes to the authorities.
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As of this writing, Shakira recently ended her extensive trek across the globe in support of her latest album, El Dorado.
She has no upcoming tour dates. Updates are made available on the official Shakira website.
— With files from the Associated Press
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