Super Bowl LIV: Shakira accused of committing $16 million tax fraud by Spanish officials days before half-time performance
Spanish officials have confirmed that Shakira has allegedly committed tax fraud of 12.2 million GBP ($16.1 million) in Spain between 2012 and 2012, reports said.
The news comes only two days before the singer’s performance at the Super Bowl 2020 halftime. The 42-year-old pop artist first made headlines in 2019, when she appeared in a Spanish court to testify over allegations that she hadn’t paid €14.5 in taxes.
It was also observed that she arrived at the Esplugues de Llobregat court through the car’s park entrance.
Although Shakira claimed that none of her taxes were due and she was up-to-date with it, prosecutors who accused her stated that the ‘Hips don’t Lie’ singer avoided paying tax by claiming to live in a different city. They noted that the singer continued to stay in Catalonia between 2012 and 2014, despite saying she lived in the Bahamas.
Reportedly, she moved to Spain from the Bahamas in 2015, where she lives now with partner Gerard Piqué, and their two sons.
However, officials have to say that she was a resident in Spain for the majority of the time and only traveled overseas for short durations.
Meanwhile, Shakira’s PR company claimed that the singer has always appeared in court to "help clarify the facts over her tax situation in Spain". The statement also said that the singer did not owe taxes to the Spanish state and that she has always met her tax obligations.
"As soon as she learned how much she owed the Spanish tax authorities – and before a complaint was filed – Shakira paid the full amount. As well as providing the tax office with exhaustive information. For this reason, there is currently no debt whatsoever,” it read.
Shakira will be sharing the stage with Jennifer Lopez for the Super Bowl halftime show. Neither of the singers has revealed any specifics about their performance.