Shakira strikes deal with Spanish prosecutors to avoid time behind bars

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - The Colombian pop star Shakira struck a deal with Spanish prosecutors on Monday to avoid time behind bars.

Shakira pled guilty to defrauding Spain of €14.5 million ($15.8 million) in taxes between 2012 and 2014. In exchange, she received a three-year suspended prison sentence, which was substituted for a €7.3 million fine. She had already paid back the €14.5 million.

Prosecutors originally wanted an eight-year prison sentence for Shakira.

This case hinged on whether or not Shakira resided in Spain from 2012 to 2014. Prosecutors say she was a Spanish resident and needed to pay taxes, but the singer had insisted she was an official resident in the Bahamas at the time.

Despite the settlement, Shakira continues to deny any wrongdoing outside of the courtroom.

“I felt ready to go to trial to defend my innocence... But after years of fighting, I made this decision. I had two options: keep fighting until the end at the expense of my peace of mind and that of my children … or settle and leave this chapter of my life behind,” she said in a statement released on Monday.

Shakira still faces outstanding cases surrounding tax fraud in 2011 and 2018.

Referring to the case around her 2011 taxes, the statement said it “made no sense” and should be annulled because she had no ties to Spain at that time.

“It’s all because, in the middle of a global tour with more than 120 concerts, I came to Spain to visit a person with whom I was starting a relationship for a total of 70 days,” she said, referring to her now ex-partner, Barcelona footballer Gerald Pique.

The statement did not refer to the investigation into her 2018 taxes. In that case, prosecutors allege that she used a web of offshore corporations to avoid paying €6 million in taxes.

In Spain, other celebrities such as footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi also managed to doge time in prison despite similar convictions for tax fraud.