Shakira Mebarak has been charged with tax evasion for the second time by Spanish authorities. Prosecutors in Barcelona claim the pop star underpaid almost €6.1 million in tax on income earned in 2018.
On July 20 a judge accepted the prosecution office’s recommendation to expand its investigation into Shakira’s tax affairs beyond the three years for which the pop music star is already awaiting trial in a Barcelona court. Prosecutors first indicted the singer — who is widely known by her first name — for tax fraud in 2018, alleging that she claimed to be a resident of the Bahamas when she was actually residing in Spain from 2012 through 2014. Shakira’s lawyers rejected a plea deal in 2022 that would have allowed her to avoid trial on charges of evading €14.5 million in taxes. Her trial in that case is scheduled to begin November 20.
The latest charges, filed September 26, are based on prosecutors’ claims that Shakira used offshore companies, many based in tax havens, to underpay taxes stemming from her global “El Dorado” tour, the sale of intellectual property rights, and from holdings of real estate and financial assets. She is accused of underpaying €5.3 million in income tax and €773,600 of wealth tax, according to EFE, a news agency. Interest on the alleged underpayment of tax brings the total assessment to approximately $6.6 million.
The Colombian-born singer paid over €20 million in 2018 to settle a dispute over her 2011 tax liability that was beyond the statute of limitations for criminal tax disputes but was pursued by the Spanish tax authority through administrative means. The singer has denied the charges for tax years 2012-2014, saying she earned most of her income from international tours before taking up Spanish residency in 2015.