An inquiry into a second instance of alleged tax fraud by international music diva Shakira has been launched, according to a court close to Barcelona, Spain.
The Colombian artist is charged with cheating the Tax Agency of assets and personal income taxes for the 2018 fiscal year, according to a complaint from the Prosecutor’s Office.
Shakira was living in Barcelona at the time with her two sons, her ex-husband, the retired soccer player Gerard Piqué. After the couple’s 11-year relationship came to an end, she and her kids are now residing in Miami.
As of the morning of Thursday, the singer “had yet to get any formal notice of the Prosecutor’s complaint,” a Shakira representative wrote in an email to NBC News.
Her legal counsel “will not make any remarks until the notice reaches them through official and legally authorized channels,” the spokeswoman stated. “She must be personally informed at her new address, strictly in accordance with the Law’s provisions.”
For allegedly neglecting to pay 13.9 million euros ($13.9 million) in taxes on revenue received from 2012 to 2014, Shakira is already scheduled to go on trial at a later date. The performer has vehemently denied any misconduct.
The investigation into potential tax evasion by Shakira from 2018 has now been approved by a Spanish judge and state prosecutors.
According to the Spanish newspaper El Pas, the court claimed it was awaiting formal notification of the singer and had no knowledge of the amount of money in dispute.
“Shakira defends always acting in line with the law and following the recommendations of the top tax advisors. She is now concentrating on her career as a musician in Miami and is optimistic that her tax problems will be resolved favorably, according to Shakira’s spokeswoman.
A court in the nearby town of Esplugues de Llobregat is managing both cases.
Where Shakira lived from 2012 to 2014 is a key factor in the first case that will go to trial. Although her official residency was in the Bahamas, Barcelona prosecutors claim that the Grammy winner spend more than half of that time in Spain and should have paid taxes there.
Other well-known individuals, including soccer players Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, have come under fire from Spanish authorities during the previous ten years for failing to pay their fair share of taxes.
Despite being found guilty of tax evasion, they were both spared prison time thanks to a rule that permits judges to suspend first-time offenders’ prison terms of up to two years.