These are not good times for Shakira: the Colombian artist predicted a quiet summer even with her eyes set on the media trial that in November will force her to return to Barcelona to testify for six fiscal crimes.
However, yesterday morning it was leaked that the court of inquiry number 2 of Esplugues de Llobregat (where there is what used to be his family home with Gerard Piqué) has accepted the complaint filed by the Barcelona Provincial Prosecutor’s Office for two more alleged crimes against the public treasury, in this case concerning personal income tax and VAT for the year 2018. Just three hours later, the press office of the Prosecutor’s Office issued the step of the leak and corroborated its veracity: “The Provincial Prosecutor of Barcelona confirms that a complaint has been filed by the Special Prosecutor for Economic Crimes of Barcelona against SIMR [initials of Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll] for two crimes against the public treasury for fraud in personal income tax and wealth tax in the year 2018. The complaint has been accepted for processing by the courts of Esplugues de Llobregat and is pending notification to the run down”.
The defense of the Colombian star is led by Pau Molins, a prestigious Barcelona penalty taker who is also represented by other media outlets, such as Infanta Cristina, Sandro Rosell, Santi Vila and Félix Millet. Molins took up her defense in November 2022 and the singer will need her full potential: accused of six tax crimes -corresponding to personal income tax and property taxes for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014-, Shakira is facing sentences bordering on eight years in prison and fines that do not fall below 24 million euros. The scheduled date for the start of the oral hearing is November 20 and will last at least two weeks.
Consulted yesterday by Shakira’s legal and communication team for this newspaper about this new open procedural front, we can confirm that although they knew that months ago the tax inspectorate sent its report to the Prosecutor’s Office, all of Shakira’s environment, including her lawyer, learned yesterday that the public ministry had decided to file the complaint and that it had been accepted for processing due to the leak to the media.
We summarize the press release that the singer’s team addressed to the media: “Shakira has not received any notification about the lawsuit that today the media claim has been filed for the year 2018. Once again, as happens all these years, it is through the media that the singer has learned of the filing of this lawsuit, which demonstrates the media and reputational pressure to which she is subjected (…). As has already been broadcast several times, Shakira defends that she has always acted in accordance with the law and under the advice of the best tax experts. She is now focused on her artistic life in Miami and is calm and confident in the favorable resolution of her tax issues.”
His defense maintains that it wasn’t until his first son went to school at the end of 2014 and the renewal of Piqué by Barça when the artist decided to set up his residence in Barcelona.
At the end of 2018, Shakira made herself available to the investigation and, before the opening of the investigation, deposited the 14 million euros plus interest that the Treasury claims, a total of around 17 million. If acquitted, this amount will be repaid; now, if things go wrong… The Prosecutor’s Office is asking him for a sum of almost eight years, and the State Attorney’s Office, a little more than five for these six fiscal crimes.
