Shakira is now the subject of a fresh tax investigation in Spain following the opening of an inquiry into a second instance of the singer's suspected tax fraud.
New Tax Fraud Investigation
Shakira (born Shakira Mebarak) is already facing trial for tax fraud related to allegedly unpaid taxes from 2012 to 2014. But on Thursday, July 20, authorities stated that they would open an inquiry into two probable incidents of tax fraud dating back to 2018.
The judge who is leading the investigation is from the same court that opened her first inquiry, which is now heading to trial. Thus the investigation will take place in the Esplugues de Llobregat area of Spain, close to Barcelona.
The 46-year-old Hips Don't Lie singer, who moved to Miami with her two boys earlier this year, will be required to return to Barcelona in November to face a trial. The unexpected journey across the ocean follows her recent breakup with soccer star Gerard Piqué.
A spokeswoman for Catalonia's High Court of Justice stated, "Court of Instruction Number 2 in Esplugues de Llobregat has opened a procedure following a complaint presented by prosecutors against the singer Shakira for two suspected tax crimes corresponding to her 2018 tax returns."
If found guilty in her trial scheduled for November, she faces possible prison time and a $23.5 million fine.
The First Tax Fraud Allegation
According to New York Post, the Colombian pop artist is in the middle of a judicial dispute over allegations that she owes Spain $14.7 million in taxes from the years 2012 to 2014, even though she maintains that she was not really residing in Spain at that period.
The prosecution maintains that Shakira was present in Spain throughout that period and that she purchased a residence in Barcelona in May 2012. She reportedly stayed there with Piqué and the couple's firstborn son, who was born in Spain in 2013.
Shakira had a home address in the Bahamas at the time, but prosecutors argue that she really spent most of her time in Spain.
Shakira claims she has been through the "darkest hours" of her life because she faces up to eight years in jail if she is found guilty of tax evasion in Spain.
New York Post reported that Shakira has previously claimed the Spanish tax agency routinely treats famous people differently from the average taxpayer.
The singer has declared she has already paid back the $17.5 million she owed the Spanish tax office and has nothing more to pay.
