The trial against Shakira now begins in Barcelona.
The Colombian singer is expected to announce her stance on the tax crimes she is accused of, but may ask for permission not to attend the remaining hearings.
Shakira is called to appear in court today, Monday, the first day of the trial. The 46-year-old world star risks over eight years in prison and 275 million kroner in fines if she were to be convicted. Spanish prosecutors accuse her of withholding from the Spanish state about 166 million kroner in taxes for income from 2012 to 2014.
Ultimately, the question is whether Shakira mostly lived in Spain or not. Shakira denies the allegations and insists she did not move to Spain full-time until 2015.
Public relation
But prosecutors believe she moved to Barcelona as early as 2011 when her relationship with soccer star Gerard Piqué also reached the public eye. While she was based in the Bahamas, Shakira used several companies in different tax havens to avoid paying taxes, prosecutors claim.
Shakira thinks she has already paid her debt.
– I have paid everything they claim I owe even before they filed the lawsuit. So today my debt to them is zero, she said in an interview with Elle in 2022.
Moved to Miami
In the same year, she announced her separation from Gerard Piqué and in April 2022, she moved to Miami with the couple’s two sons. Already in 2016, her former partner Piqué was sentenced to pay 24 million kroner to the Spanish tax authorities.
The trial is expected to last until December 14 and around 120 witnesses will be heard. Spanish prosecutors have meticulously mapped Shakira’s private life to prove which country she lived in during the relevant period.