On Thursday, a Court near Barcelona confirmed that Tax Evasion proceedings against the Colombian pop singer had been dropped. Accordingly, there were “irregularities” in her 2018 tax return. The court explained that this was not a criminal offence. The 47-year-old had no intention of defrauding tax authorities.

Insufficient evidence

The court followed a recommendation from the Barcelona Public Prosecutor's Office, which deemed there was Insufficient Evidence to convict Shakira. The authorities launched an investigation on suspicion that the pop star was evading taxes amounting to about six million euros through a network of companies based in tax havens. In August last year, the 47-year-old paid €6.6 million to the Spanish tax authorities – “to demonstrate her willingness to settle potential tax debts”, her lawyers said.

A fine of 7.3 million euros

The pop singer, who has lived in Spain for a long time and is known worldwide for songs such as “Hips Don't Lie” and “Waka Waka”, paid a fine of more than 7.3 million euros in another case in November. It had previously paid €17.45 million towards its tax debts in the process.

Suspicions of tax evasion have been weighing on Shakira for years. Regarding her previous residence in the Bahamas, her name appeared in the “Pandora Papers” in 2021, which revealed the tax evasion scams of several millionaires, some of them prominent. The Colombian has been living in Miami, USA, since last year.