Shakira sentenced to stand trial in Spain for alleged tax evasion

Editor’s note: You can read a Spanish version of this article on CNNE.com.

CNN
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Grammy-winning singer Shakira is set to stand trial in Spain for alleged tax evasion against the Spanish Treasury, according to a resolution released Tuesday.

A judge in Barcelona has ordered the case to be sent to trial, but no start date has yet been set. Spanish prosecutors allege Shakira failed to pay income and wealth tax between 2012 and 2014, currently assessed at around $15.8 million, which she has denied.

Shakira called her accusations « false » in an interview with Elle magazine earlier this month, saying « I paid everything they said I owed, before they even took legal action. justice. So as of today, I owe them nothing.

Spanish authorities claim she lived in Spain more than 183 days a year between 2011 and 2014, but Shakira denied this in her interview with Elle. His attorneys said his primary residence at that time was in the Bahamas.

« Shakira and her team consider this matter to be a complete violation of her rights as she has always demonstrated impeccable behavior, as a person and as a taxpayer, and a total willingness to resolve any disagreements from the outset, even before the criminal process, » a spokesperson for Shakira said in a statement in July after an agreement on a settlement in the case could not be reached,

CNN has reached out to Shakira’s reps for further comment.

Prosecutors are asking for an eight-year prison sentence, plus fines, if convicted.