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Shakira faces eight years behind bars as judge orders trial
Published 12:27 27 Sept 2022 BST
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Shakira rejected a plea deal earlier this year
Shakira could be sentenced to eight years in prison after Spanish courts ordered her to stand trial for tax evasion. The Colombian music star, 45, could face up to eight years in prison if she is found guilty.
Shakira has stringently denied the accusations.
The pop superstar, 45, is accused of failing to pay the Spanish government €14.5m (£12.2m)on income earned between 2012 and 2014.
She is accused of lying about where she lived during this period as well as using a complicated offshore corporate structure to avoid the tax.
If she is found guilty, prosecutors are asking for the singer to be jailed for eight years and fined over €23m (£19.2m).
In July, the popstar rejected a plea deal and chose to go to trial. It it believed the deal requested that she admit to avoiding the tax.
The Columbian pop singer "trusts her innocence and chooses to leave the issue in the hands of the law," PR firm Llorente y Cuenca told Billboard.
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The popstar rejected a plea deal earlier this year and maintains her innocence (Getty)[/caption]
The firm also claimed the "Hips Don't Lie" singer has deposited the amount she is said to owe to the Spanish tax office and has no outstanding tax debts.
Shakira, who has sold more than 80 million records worldwide, claims that she did not live in Spain in the years she has been accused of failing to pay taxes.
However the prosecutor's document asserts that the star bought a house in Barcelona in 2012, which became the family home for herself, her partner and their son Milan, who was born the following year.
People are considered Spanish residents for tax purposes if they spend more than 183 days in a given calendar year in Spain. Official residents in Spain must pay Spanish taxes on their worldwide income.
Tax inspectors who investigated Shakira's personal life during the 2012 to 2014 period claim she spent most of her time in Spain.
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They argue the ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ singer spent 242 days in Spain in 2012, 212 days in 2013 and 243 days in the country in 2014.
