Shakira, the Colombian superstar, has agreed to a deal with Spanish prosecutors to avoid trial for tax fraud, agreeing to pay a fine exceeding 7.3 million euros ($7.98 million) and receiving a three-year suspended sentence.
The accusations involved alleged defrauding of the Spanish state of 14.5 million euros ($15.7 million) in income earned between 2012 and 2014, which Shakira denied, stating she only became a full-time resident in Spain in 2015.
Despite her denial, she chose to settle for the well-being of her two sons, Milan and Sasha, but did not address reporters outside the Barcelona courthouse.
“I need to move past the stress and emotional toll of the last several years and focus on the things I love – my kids and all the opportunities to come in my career, including my upcoming world tour and my new album,” she said in the statement issued by her lawyers.
“I admire tremendously those who have fought these injustices to the end, but for me, today, winning is getting my time back for my kids and my career.”
The focus of the case revolved around the duration that the singer, known for hits like “Whenever, Wherever” and the 2010 World Cup song “Waka Waka,” stayed in Spain from 2012 to 2014.
According to Spanish authorities, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, also known as the Queen of Latin Pop, allegedly spent more than half of that period in Spain and was therefore liable to pay taxes in the country.
They claimed that she relocated to Spain following the public acknowledgment of her relationship with former FC Barcelona star defender Gerard Pique in 2011, yet maintained her official tax residency in the Bahamas until 2015.
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