Shakira has put out a statement before her trial, which could send her to jail for eight years. The 45-year-old singer is accused of not paying 14.5 million euros (£13 million) in taxes on earnings from 2012 to 2014.
The star’s official home was in the Bahamas but prosecutors in Barcelona say she spent more than half of that time in Spain and should have paid taxes there. Shakira, who has always said she did nothing wrong, said this week that she feels “violated” by the Spanish tax authorities.
“It is not acceptable that the tax authorities don’t respect the legal certainty that must be given to every taxpayer or my basic rights when they accuse me,” she said.
“On top of that, they’re trying to ruin a reputation that took years to build. In my case, they’ve violated my basic rights to privacy and the presumption of innocence.”
She also said that “unorthodox methods” were used against her. She said, “In my case, they have violated my right to privacy and the presumption of innocence, which are basic rights of any citizen.”
Her lawyers also said, “What actually happened were sporadic appearances, which led to an accusation based on nothing but speculation.”
“As an example, the accusation adds up all the payments made in Spain with a series of credit cards belonging to her team and friends to figure out how many days Shakira was in this country. This is done without taking into account that, in many cases, payments are made at the same time in different parts of the world without the artist being there.”
The statement also said that Shakira would not make a deal and was ready to go to court to show that she was innocent.
“Shakira is still determined to pay all of her taxes in Spain, as well as in all of the other countries where she has lived or performed during her long career,” the article says.
“Finally, Shakira wants to say that she has full faith in the independence of the Spanish justice system and is sure that her innocence will be proven after the trial.” Shakira’s PR company says that she has already paid back all of what she owed, plus three million euros (£2.6 million) in interest.
Shakira gave permission for LLYC, based in Barcelona, to release the following statement on Friday, November 25: “Shakira is a taxpayer who has always paid her taxes correctly and has never had tax problems in any other country.
“The singer relied on top advisors like PriceWaterhouseCoopers. She never stayed in Spain for more than the required 183 days to be a tax resident.
“Because the charges against her aren’t backed up by solid evidence, she has been fiercely persecuted in the criminal and media spheres. Unacceptable methods have been used to hurt her reputation and force her to agree to a settlement.
“Shakira has already paid more than 90 million euros for international income she hasn’t made in Spain and for her international assets, even though she doesn’t have a business center in Spain and has never made a lot of money there.”
Related Stories Recommended By Writer:
