Spanish Court Rules in Favour of Shakira in Tax Fraud Case

World-famous Colombian singer Shakira - who recently discovered herself listed in the Pandora Papers among people who allegedly have secret wealth stored offshore - faced accusations of tax fraud back in 2018, when Spanish prosecutors claimed that she had failed to pay some €14.5 million in personal income and corporate tax.

A Barcelona court has ruled in favour of Shakira in a tax fraud case, multiple media outlets reported, citing the singer's lawyers.

According to ABC Catalonia, the Tax Agency will have to return a series of excessive surcharges on Shakira's income statement to her.

While the Spanish prosecutors claimed that the Colombian diva had failed to pay some €14.5 million in personal income and corporate tax on income earned between 2012 and 2014, her lawyers argued that the singer had complied with the country's laws.

The Colombian pop star faced accusations of alleged tax evasion back in 2018, with reports emerging in 2021 saying that she could end up behind bars if found guilty. However, the singer's legal team insisted that she “has complied at all times with her tax obligations and does not owe any amount to the Spanish Treasury".

Now that Shakira appears to have won the tax fraud case, she is still listed among those who are alleged of keeping secret wealth in offshore accounts, as the Pandora Papers investigative report claims.

According to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), Shakira had at least three of her offshore companies set up by the firm OMC Group, with her lawyers insisting that these offshore accounts are declared, and that the singer has never used them to evade taxes.

However, Shakira's representatives said that the ICIJ claims are not true, particularly dismissing assertions that the said companies were registered in 2019.

"Her companies were established between 2001 and 2009 at the latest, in compliance with the law, and much earlier than Shakira became a resident of Spain", her representatives told Sputnik.