BARCELONA: Colombian singer Shakira on Monday reached a settlement with prosecution to avoid a trial over charges she failed to pay 14.5 million euros ($15.74 million) in Spanish income tax between 2012 and 2014.
The 46-year-old Colombian pop sensation, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, agreed Monday to pay a fine of €7.3 million ($8 million), despite saying she was “confident” the court would have found her not guilty.
As part of the deal that puts an end to the trial, prosecution changed jail time for the singer with fines, the judge said during the trial’s first hearing.
Shakira also accepted a further fine of €438,000 ($478,000) and will receive a suspended three-year sentence, the judge presiding over the trial said on Monday.
The high-profile case alleged that Shakira failed to pay the Spanish government €14.5 million ($15.8 million) worth of taxes from 2012 to 2014. According to Spanish law, anyone who remains in Spain longer than six months a year is considered a resident for tax purposes. As such, the dispute focused on Shakira’s time in Spain during those years despite listing her official address as in the Bahamas.
