Shakira settles tax fraud case for protection of her sons

Shakira gets caught in second tax fraud case in Spain nearly 10 months after she was ordered to stand trial in a $13.9 million tax evasion case.

On July 20, a Spanish court located in the town of Esplugues de Llobregat near Barcelona, Spain, said that it has started a new investigation against Shakira.

According to InTouch Weekly, the recent investigation was linked to alleged fraud on personal income tax and wealth tax in 2018.

As per the publication, the second case was opened after the Barcelona Economic Crimes Prosecutor issued a complaint that Shakira allegedly defrauded the Tax Agency.

Additionally, the prosecutor’s office filed a complaint for two alleged tax crimes.

In September 2024, Shakira decided to settle the $15 million fraud case for the sake of her two sons as  Shakira said in a statement to El Mundo, “I did it to protect my children and to get on with my life, not out of cowardice or guilt.”

As per the outlet, the Waka Waka singer’s first fraud case was determined based on where she lived from 2012 to 2014.

In this regards, the prosecutors in Barcelona claimed that Shakira spent more than half of that period in Spain and argued that she should have paid taxes in the country.

Furthermore, she allegedly owes 14.5 million euros, which is $13.9 million, in taxes on income earned between those years.

It is worth mentioning that Shakira previously rejected a settlement offer in the case in July 2022, which would have let them settle the case out of court.

As per the outlet, the singer chose to cut a plea deal with the Spanish government just one day before her trial was set to start on November 21. She agreed to pay $7.6 million and received a three-year suspended sentence.