the Spanish Public Prosecution Service requests the dismissal of proceedings for tax fraud

The 49-year-old singer was suspected of using companies in tax havens to avoid paying her full income and wealth taxes in 2018.

The Spanish public prosecutor’s office announced on Wednesday that it had requested the dismissal of proceedings for tax fraud against world star Shakira, who had managed to avoid a trial in a separate procedure at the end of last year in exchange for the payment of a heavy fine. .

“The Public Prosecution Service believes that there is insufficient evidence” to prosecute the Colombian artist in the context of these proceedings for tax fraud relating to the year 2018, he stated in a press release.

A court on the outskirts of Barcelona announced in July the start of proceedings against Shakira, who is suspected of using companies based in tax havens to avoid paying all her income and wealth taxes this year.

The singer paid 6.6 million euros to the court the following month to demonstrate her desire to regularize her situation with the tax authorities. This amount included, in addition to the amount owed to the tax authorities, default interest and regularization costs.

First fine of more than 7.3 million euros

In another tax fraud case spanning the years 2012, 2013 and 2014, Shakira was summoned to court in November, but struck a last-minute deal with the prosecutor, avoiding a trial.

The interpreter of Hips do not lie was, as part of this agreement, sentenced to pay a fine of more than 7.3 million euros, which corresponds to “50%” of the amount of the fraud. She had already paid 17.45 million euros to the tax authorities to regularize her situation in this case.

The singer, who moved to Miami with her children after her divorce last year from ex-Spanish footballer Gerard Piqué, is also in the crosshairs of the Spanish tax authorities for 2011.