Pop singer Shakira to face trial over tax fraud in Spain
Shakira, known for her reggaeton-inspired music, has been summoned to Spain for questioning over her alleged tax fraud.
Spanish tax authorities have said: “The singer is being questioned, to take into account her past activities and the facts that have emerged during the course of the investigation.”
While a spokesman for the case said the prosecutor’s office had received the documents by Thursday morning and had made the decision to summon the singer, he said, “It is not the prosecutor’s decision.”
The prosecutor, however, said, “An order was issued for the singer to be questioned and, if necessary, her home has been searched.”
Shakira, 33, has recently been accused of tax fraud in Spain, but her defence team has insisted she is not guilty.
Spanish authorities are currently investigating whether the singer breached Spanish tax laws by allegedly failing to report the sales of her 2009 album, Shakira.
Shakira and the Spanish authorities are now looking into “the facts and circumstances that have now developed” after the album was launched in Spain last January.
One of Shakira’s lawyers in Spain, José A. Rodríguez, has said the singer “will not be called again” in connection to the tax fraud.
Spain’s tax authority said: “The singer is being questioned, to take into account her past activities and the facts that have emerged during the course of the investigation.”
A spokesman for the case said: “The prosecutor’s office has received the documents by Thursday morning and has made the decision to summons the singer.”
The singer, who has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, is being interrogated under the country’s anti-fraud law, which prohibits individuals from misleading governments about their tax compliance.
The spokesman added, “A notification has been issued for the singer to be questioned, to