A Spanish judge in Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, has ordered a second investigation into Colombian singer Shakira for alleged tax fraud. The judge, Marco Jesús Juberías, argued that Shakira’s stay in Spain for over 200 days from 2012 to 2014 qualifies her as liable to pay $16.2 million in unpaid taxes in the country.
Judge Juberías alleged that Shakira’s financial advisor used offshore bank accounts to conceal her sources of income during those years. Despite Shakira’s legal team maintaining her innocence and expressing confidence in a favorable resolution to her tax affairs, the judge ruled that there is sufficient evidence of criminality to bring her to trial on charges of tax fraud.
During the investigation, Shakira argued that she maintained her primary residence in the Bahamas during the period in question and was touring internationally. However, the judge’s decision indicates that there are grounds to proceed with the trial based on the allegations of tax evasion in Spain between 2012 and 2014, when she was living in the country with her partner, Gérard Piqué, and their family.
