‘The Voice’ Judge Shakira Could Face Jail Time For Tax Evasion
Columbia singing star and The Voice judge Shakira is said to be facing jail time as she is now the subject of a tax inquiry. Shakira, who now makes her home in Barcelona, Spain, is under investigation by the Spanish government into her financial affairs between the years 2011 and 2014 because sources claim she did not pay taxes in Spain on her international earnings.
The Daily Mail stated that the Spanish government has not launched a formal investigation yet into Shakira’s financial status, but Spain’s tax agency is researching how many days Shakira spent in Spain during that period. Sources close to Shakira claim that she did not become a full-time resident of Spain until 2015, so she does not owe any back taxes to the Spanish government.
Tax experts for Shakira claim that for the years in question, Shakira lived in Spain for less than 183 days of the year and that she should not be responsible for any taxes from 2011 through 2014. The lawyer for Shakira, Ezequiel Camerini, says that the singer lived in several places during the period in question.
“As an international artist, she had lived in several places in the course of her professional life, acting in total accordance with the laws of all the jurisdictions she resides in.”
Shakira made the move to Spain when she started a relationship with Barcelona soccer player Gerard Pique with whom she has two children, Milan and Sasha.
According to Hollywood Life, prosecutors could choose to seek jail time for The Voice judge Shakira if she is found guilty of tax evasion in Spain. In Spain, the local tax agency files a complaint, and then prosecutors research the filing to decide whether or not to proceed towards legal action. At this time, Spanish prosecutors are not yet alleging that Shakira did anything purposeful to evade paying taxes in Spain.
La Vanguardia, a local Spanish paper is claiming that the Spanish government could go after Shakira for “several million euros” if it is found that she lived more than half of the year in Spain between 2011 and 2014.
BBC News – Spain targets pop star Shakira in tax inquiry https://t.co/Eeynb1t7FI
— Nana Antwiago Amoako-ATTA (@antwiago63) January 22, 2018
At this time, Shakira is at home in Spain after delaying her El Dorado World Tour after an injury to her vocal cords. She posted a message on Instagram to her fans saying that she will reschedule her tour for a later date in 2018.
“For the last five months, I’ve been dedicated to preparing my El Dorado World Tour. However, these past few days, just before my first concerts, have been some of the hardest of my career.”
Legal and tax experts for Shakira say they are working with the Spanish government to determine any discrepancies in the singer’s tax filings.
