Shakira’s Alleged Network of Tax Havens Conned Spanish Authorities So Badly That the Humiliated Agencies Were Forced to Demand Punitive 8 Year Jail Term
Shakira finds herself in a sea of woes and the troubles keep adding up. Ever since she and her partner of 12 years, Gerard Pique split up after the latter’s affair was made public, the Columbian singer has not known respite. First, she had to face stalkers and paparazzi hounding her on a daily basis. To avoid this disturbing lifestyle, Shakira tried leaving Barcelona to live a quiet life with her kids in Miami. But Pique has been a huge roadblock, insisting that the kids should stay in Barcelona to continue their education. The couple has long been involved in a custody battle for the 2 kids that they share. And now the singer is looking at serious trouble and possible jail time.
Shakira might be facing possible jail time
The latest of Shakira’s problems is a tax evasion charge from Spanish tax authorities. The allegations against Shakira mention that the singer defrauded the Spanish tax authorities of 14.5 million euros. The Hips don’t lie singer was offered an out-of-court settlement to pay off her dues, but she chose to take the case to trial instead. Her PR firm said that Shakira “trusts her innocence and chooses to leave the issue in the hands of the law.”
Also Read: Shakira Went Full Sherlock Holmes to Uncover Gerard Pique’s Cheating Scandal
However, as it stands, prosecutors are now demanding that since Shakira has refused the settlement deal, she should now be made liable to pay a fine of 24 million euros and serve eight years in prison for committing three wealth tax frauds and three evasions of personal income tax (IRPF) between 2012 and 2014, when she was a resident in Spain.
The prosecutors have underlined that Shakira was liable for filing personal income tax and wealth tax returns since she was living “habitually in Spain” for most of the year.
An elaborate network of companies to evade tax obligations?
The Spanish Prosecutors have further alleged that in order to evade her tax obligations in Spain, Shakira had employed a whole network of companies based in tax havens. A number of places were listed where Shakira had allegedly hidden her fortune from the Spanish tax authorities, namely the British Virgin Islands, Luxembourg, Panama, and Malta, among others. The Spanish prosecution further alleged that more of her assets are hidden in other entities based in Spain, the United States, and the Netherlands.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office stated:
“These companies were set up for the sole purpose of concealing Shakira’s income and assets from the tax authorities… Shakira’s only relationship with the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Malta, Panama and Luxembourg was that they served to channel the capital movements generated by her professional activity.”
With the confidence that Shakira had in rejecting the out-of-court settlement, the long list of allegations could possibly be a ruse to get her to cave but only further investigation will bring facts to light. Meanwhile, the singer and the Barcelona defender are in a rigorous legal battle over their kids.
Source: Marca
