Spain prosecutors say Shakira owes $7 million in tax

BARCELONA: Colombian pop idol Shakira, who stands trial in Barcelona in November for tax fraud, is facing a fresh probe by prosecutors who claim she cheated Spain´s tax office out of 6.6 million euros.

The case first came to light in July when a court near Barcelona said it had agreed to investigate two possible cases of tax fraud by the singer dating from 2018, although it did not say how much money was involved.

Details of the latest case were only made public on Tuesday after the 46-year-old was formally notified about the charges against her at home in Miami. She has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and claims she owes nothing to the Spanish tax office. Prosecutors point to two alleged offences for filing “incorrect tax returns” detailing her personal income tax and wealth tax in 2018 when she was living in Barcelona.

Court documents, dating from May, say she used a “corporate framework” involving companies, some of which were based in tax havens, in order to avoid paying the tax. In total, prosectors accuse the superstar of owing 5.3 million euros in personal income tax and 773,000 euros in wealth tax, which with interest and adjustments, comes to a total of 6.6 million euros ($7 million).