Spain's Prosecutor Accuses Shakira of Tax Fraud

Over the past weekend, El Pais cited an unnamed source as saying that the Spanish prosecution was going to charge Colombian singer Shakira with tax fraud.

Spain's public prosecutor has filed an accusation of tax fraud against Shakira, the spokesperson announced on Friday.

READ MORE: Spanish Prosecutors Seek to Sue Shakira for Alleged Tax Fraud – Reports

According to Europa Press, the prosecutor alleges that the Colombian singer avoided more than 14.5 million euros ($16.34 million) in payments over a three-year period in which she lived in Catalonia.

Spanish media earlier suggested that the prosecution maintained that Shakira had become a de facto tax resident in Spain in 2011 when her relationship with Barcelona FC Gerard Pique was made public, and thus she owed the Spanish treasury millions in unpaid income taxes.

El Pais newspaper's source claimed that the prosecution had notified the Colombian star that they were not going to drop the case.

Shakira, in turn, issued a statement for the newspaper La Vanguardia, saying that she had "complied at all times with her tax obligations and does not owe any amount to the Spanish Treasury".

The singer also emphasised that she was "unique due to her being a foreign citizen in Spain whose income comes almost entirely (96 percent) from abroad".

READ MORE: Spanish Officials Lop 2 Million Euros Off Ronaldo's Tax Evasion Settlement

Shakira is not the only celebrity to have been accused of tax evasion in Spain: Juventus FC ace Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona FC treasure Lionel Messi are also on the list.