Shakira is facing more than eight years in Spanish prison for tax fraud
Prosecutors in the case are reportedly seeking a fine of €24 million in addition to the sentence
Aux News Shakira
Despite her timeless assertion regarding the honesty of her hips, prosecutors in Spain are moving forward with charges stating Shakira has been dishonest about her taxes. After declining a settlement deal in a case alleging the Colombian singer evaded roughly €14.5 million (about $14.8 million in U.S. currency) in government taxes, Shakira will head to court, where prosecutors are seeking a sentence of eight years and two months jail time, as well as a €24 million fine, per the Associated Press. The official indictment details six separate charges against the Grammy winner.
Although Shakira was first hit with the charges in 2018, the artist only elected to decline the plea deal this week (she previously asserted her innocence during her testimony for a rejected June 2019 appeal.) The artist’s public relations firm, Llorente y Cuenca, said in a statement on Wednesday that Shakira chose to take the case to trial because she sees it as “a total violation of her rights” and “trusts her innocence and chooses to leave the issue in the hands of the law.” “The singer is fully confident of her innocence and therefore does not accept a settlement,” the statement continued.
Much of the case hinges on where Shakira, 45, was living between the years of 2012 and 2014. Prosecutors claim that Shakira lived mostly in Spain during those years even though her primary residence was listed as The Bahamas—in 2021, Spanish judge Marco Juberías wrote that his three-year probe into Shakira’s tax history reflected “sufficient evidence of criminality” warranting a trial.
Conversely, the artist’s publicists insist Shakira has paid the money she allegedly owes to the Spanish Tax Agency in addition to €3 million in interest, and has no pending debts. “Shakira’s conduct on tax matters has always been impeccable in all the countries where she has had to pay taxes, and she has trusted and faithfully followed the recommendations of the best specialists and expert advisors,” they shared in a statement back in May.
A trial date has yet to be set for the case, but the strength of Shakira’s publicists’ statement suggests she’s ready whenever, wherever to defend her name.
109 Comments
“Try Everything” indeed.
Did you say “fry everything”?
Doctor, my eyes…
She’ll keep on making those new mistakes.
short queens are always evading the tax man.
Don’t drag Sir Elton into it!
On the one hand, eat the rich. On the other hand, no one should be be doing time for tax fraud.Eight years of community service, on the other hand…
There’s no way Shakira is doing hard time over this. They’re just trying to scare her into ponying up the cash.
Orange Is The New Shakira
They sent Wesley Snipes to jail for it.
Didn’t he go to prison for it?
Oh, well, yeah. I know there’s a distinction between those terms, but they mean the same thing in my head.
I could be wrong, but my understanding is that prison is where people who have been convicted of crimes go, and is usually under state or federal jurisdiction, while jails are where people are held while awaiting trial or some other legal process, but have not been convicted, and those are under local jurisdiction.Pretty different in my view; if I had to pick between the two, I would much rather be in jail than in prison.
That’s my understanding of it too, it’s just that in casual parlance, I don’t really distinguish between the two unless it seems like the context demands it. I probably didn’t learn the difference until I was in my late 20s, so I was already committed to imprecise nomenclature. This might be a general American habit, but it also just could be a me thing.
For example OJ because he was a flight risk did about 18 months in jail while his trial was going on, but never went to prison for the double murder.
Depends a lot on the state law. Where I live, the term “jail” refers to a facility where persons who are given sentences of not more than one year are held, such as misdemeanor and petty misdemeanor crimes, or sentences of not more than one year that are given for felonies as a condition to a sentence of probation. “Jail” is also the facility for pre-trial detention. “Prison” refers to incarceration for sentences of more than a year for crimes classified as felonies.
I prefer “gaol” and “donjon.”
Wesley Snipes situation was much more egregious… from like 1997-1999 he filed fraud tax return demanding millions in refunds… and than rom 1999-2004 he didn’t pay any taxes at all (didn’t even file a tax return) using sovereign citizen arguments that the US government couldn’t tax him.
A quick Google search says that Spain considers you a resident if you 183 days (i.e. more than half a year) in a Spanish territory. So the question becomes whether Shakira lived in Spain soil for that long in 2012-2014… but even if she did do that and covered it up… I think the punishment than Wesley Snipes, who admitted explicitly rejecting US tax law for years.
‘Cause he was too broke to pay, no?
If you read the article, she already paid with interest. Only paying after getting caught is still a crime, but she probably had someone do her taxes and they may be at fault unless she lied to them.
I’m curious, why shouldn’t people go to prison for tax fraud?
I don’t believe anyone should do jail time for non-violent crimes.
I think you want the punishment for crimes to be sufficient to serve as a real deterrent to people considering them. For crimes where the chance of getting caught is relatively low, the punishment has to be fairly steep to deter criminals. Without taking any view on her guilt or innocence, Shakira is the sort of quintessential example of why you want a penalty that really scares people, like prison. She’s rich and famous, so a fine is unlikely to particularly frighten her, and community service is likely something she can manipulate so it isn’t that burdensome.
“I think you want the punishment for crimes to be sufficient to serve as a real deterrent to people considering them.”I sure do. I just don’t think prison is one of them. If anything, it’s counter-productive.
OK, so what is your preferred punishment that you think would sufficiently deter tax fraud?
I don’t have a preferred punishment. As I mentioned above, things like community service, restitution, wage garnishing as well as bans on certain activities (ie a convicted finance bro no longer being able to work in finance-related industries) are all at our disposal and cost far less than booking them into a one star hotel with meal package.
at the level you’re thinking of, yes. at the level planehugger is talking of, yes. white collar crime should absolutely require prison time.
I think that would be partially remedied by making the fines a far, far bigger deal, too big to blow off. Fines are usually determined statutorily, with “regular” people in mind, which is how Lori Loughlin, for example, got fined $150,000 — a fraction of her $8 million worth. That’s hardly a deterrent when she spent close to four times that amount in the bribes that got her in trouble in the first place.
I disagree. If some stockbroker rips off a few thousand clients for a total of $150 million, he deserves prison time.
Stockbroker deserves to pay back the entire $150M, then another $150M to those same clients, then whatever legal fees, etc.There’s some symmetry to the punishment at least reversing the crime, it’s obviously not possible for every crime, but it ought to be available for this example.
Because “taxes” are the biggest fraud of all. Too much paid to get too little back for the average citizen.
I guess you don’t like water that’s safe to drink, food that’s safe to eat, and roads that are safe to drive on, then.
That’s only true in fucked-up places like the United States, where it all gets siphoned into the military and ordinary citizens have to Kickstarter their broken ankles.Some of those socialist democracies, who consistently have the highest quality of life indexes in the world, pay ~50% in taxes, but whoo boy, do they get their money’s worth out of it. High quality education including university, universal childcare, easy access to all forms of medical treatment, quality prisons that actually rehabilitate people, etc. etc.
cause fuck the irs?
Because prison is a terrible system that fixes nothing. Especially for the ultra rich. Forcing her to pay them with penalties is far better use of everyone’s time and money.
Al Capone was finally taken down because of tax fraud.
Are you implying Shakira is also a murder and crime boss
Yes.
Sure, Nilus! Didn’t you know that’s what “Ojos Asi” was actually about?
I agree. Instead of jail time for tax fraud, the fine should hurt really bad. I’m thinking a 1:1 ratio would be a good incentive at every tax bracket. Fudge away $500, owe $500 + $ 500 penalty. Fudge away 5 million… well, you get the picture.
I like the community service aspect as well. But mostly, I have no knowledge of this particular situation to have an opinion on Shakira’s guilt or innocence. I’m talking strictly to tax fraud in general, especially the tax fraud of millionaires or billionaires, who always find a way to not pay any taxes, despite being worth millions or billions.
Yeah, Orange Julius, I’m looking at you.
Well they want to fine her like 3 times what she owes AND put her away. That’s pretty fucked.
I think that’s one of the few crimes you should be in jail for. Other economic crimes, nah, but tax fraud is literally theft from the people. I see it as a form of treason committed almost solely by the rich.
People like that don’t need guards and secure buildings, just an ankle bracelet and a probation officer. Otherwise you’re just wasting money yourself.
House arrest is hardly a deterrent. “I defrauded the people of this country, give me a staycation!”
You’re missing the point. The point is punishment for treason.
“The point is punishment”I’m well aware that some people prefer a vindictive justice system, thanks.
The justice system is already incredibly vindictive. Just against the poor.
All the more reason to stop centering punishment in our judicial systems.
Certain crimes require actual punishment. Such as the rich, leeching off society.
Never seen someone as committed to the argument that human beings deserve pain.
Never seen someone so committed to keeping jail only for the poor. No, that’s a lie, I see that all the fucking time.
“Never seen someone so committed to keeping jail only for the poor”That’s a blatant misrepresentation of my comments. Funnily enough, that’s also something I see all the fucking time!
Or, simply obtain the back taxes, and a very hefty fine. Something like 95% of your wealth.
Or, simply obtain the back taxes, and a very hefty fine. Something like 95% of your wealth.
a form of treason committed almost solely by the richI agree that the rich constitute the vast majority of the money siphoned out of the system, but poor people commit tax fraud a LOT. Every job where you’re paid under the table, or you don’t log your tips? That’s tax fraud.
Nah. I agree if the amount is relatatively small, but if you owe something €14.5 million in taxes and you refuse to pay or even agree to a plea deal, your ass probably belongs in jail.
she was already attacked by Spanish feral Hogs, can they use that as time served.
Why not? Tax fraud is (not always, but overwhelmingly) rich people stealing money from every poor person who relies on government services.
On the other other hand, eat Shakira
even though her breasts are small and humble.
I dunno, for ~$14.8 million USD, well, that’s not an “oops, I forgot” sort of thing.Also, I don’t get the plea—she had 4-years to accept it and just now turned it down. She got 4-years to think about it? That sounds very flexible to me.
I mean, if you can’t trust hips to be honest, what’s the world coming to?
Somebody told her she only had to pay her taxes ‘one time’…
Time for a long term residency in a non-extradition country.
Hopefully they’ll sent her to one of those hot prisons I used to see on Cinemax
I have a feeling she will not be doing any prison time for some odd reason.
Because she’s white?
Is she? I do not know. It has more to do with being rich and famous. That transcends white privilege. Ask OJ.
But OJ did do prison time.
OJ’s prison time was for a completely separate thing – trying to steal some of his own memorabilia that somebody had legitimately acquired – and that was after he wasn’t the rich and famous guy that was in funny movies anymore.
For a completely unrelated reason to the murders, and he wasn’t rich by then and is still very infamous, so what’s your point?
Yes, but NOT for the double murder. So I thing the point stands? The LAPD’s well-earned reputation for racism and corruption also played a role…
Eventually
Now I have to look it up. I always assumed she was hispanic. Which I think is different than white. It’s hard for me because I do not see color 😉
I think she is Hispanic (Colombian by birth) but of at least partial Arabian ancestry. In the U. S, she would be classified by the New York Times as a “white Hispanic”.
Oh, and being hot also good for a couple of jurors.
I heard Colombian and Lebanese.
Yes, you’re right. Father is American-born of Lebanese ancestry, mother is Colombian of Spanish and Italian ancestry.
Elvis, hispanic is an ethnic group not a race. You can be any race and hispanic.
It is all so very confusing.
Her father is Lebanese-American. Her mother’s side of the family has been in Colombia for over 100 years.
Between the draconian tax laws and the porcine miscreants stealing accessories, I’d just stay the F outta Spain!
Any other EU country would certainly extradite her, and who wants to stay in the U.K. with the Brexiteers flushing the country down the toilet and the Tories having hitched their fortunes to a clown car?
These people don’t do their own taxes! There’s celebrity financial management companies that handle everything from the mail to the credit card bills to the electricity in their apartments. If you get with a company that’s stealing from its clients (which is super duper easy to do) or doesn’t file forms correctly (surprisingly easy to do for the lazy), you get super tax problems you didn’t start.Season 5 of The Opportunist podcast is all about how Dennis Rodman’s money was stolen by his financial manager. He couldn’t figure out why his passport kept getting revoked because he wasn’t paying child support. He told his financial manager, “Pay child support.” And then she didn’t and claimed he spent all of the money when he was drunk and didn’t remember it and whoops, no receipts.
Fascinating listen obviously.
While true, the government doesn’t care. She’ll be more than capable to sue her financial team… from her spanish jail cell.
I just wanted to pitch in that I recommend that podcast and season. It’s a bonkers story.
Fine for her, prison for her financial adviser and lawyers.
Never really knew she could evade like this
If you owe a fine in euros, now’s probably the time to pay it.
I wish I’d gotten my debts denominated in Turkish Lira a few years ago, with the stipulation that I’d pay them back around now.
No cage can hold Shakira. We all saw the video.
Can you say witch hunt?
Let me try . . .*deep breath*. . . Bite me! No, I guess I can’t.
Spain is the place that also managed to get billionaire wacko John McAfee into prison (where he committed suicide). Is Spain draconian or just efficient?
No one expects nor escapes the Spanish Inquisition…
Those hips DID lie!
Were these hips I keep hearing about in charge of the family accounting?
*shocked face*Oh yeah. Her name came up in the Panama Papers so this isn’t really a surprise.*relaxed face*
I don’t think anyone should do time for tax fraud, just make them pay what they owe plus fees and interest
Or cut an album of standards like Willie Nelson.
Or John Lennon.
Like when Frankie Valli had to do a few crappy-ass tours to pay off his boy’s gambling debts to the mob.
Is the Spanish IRS run more like the mafia?
Cue the potential cell mates waiting to discover how truthful her hips really are…
I surely hope her handlers are telling her not to go to Spain any time soon. Es un mal tiempo.
Spain sure likes to go after famous people for taxes . . . Messi and Ronaldo two others.
Spain does not like Columbians. At all. They will do everything to let her have it big time.
The receipts don’t lie.