Shakira Forced To Pay Even More Money From Tax Fraud Investigation

BYLavender AlexandriaPublished on November 27, 20231.7K Views

Colombian singer Shakira (2nd-L) arrives with her lawyer Pau Molins (L) at the High Court of Justice of Catalonia for her trial on tax fraud, in Barcelona on November 20, 2023. Colombian superstar Shakira goes on trial in Barcelona today in a tax fraud case, with Spanish prosecutors seeking a jail term of over eight years for the Grammy-winning singer. They accuse the 46-year-old of defrauding the Spanish state of 14.5 million euros ($15.7 million) on income earned between 2012 and 2014, charges denied by the singer who says she only moved to Spain full time in 2015. (Photo by Pau BARRENA / AFP) (Photo by PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images)

It brings the grand total amount she's paid to nearly $34 million.

Shakira has been dealing with the fallout from an investigation into her taxes for years now. She may have thought it was over last week when she appeared in court to settle the criminal investigation into her tax fraud. She paid nearly $27 million in order to get a lighter sentence after pleading guilty to tax fraud. Now, according to TMZ, she's now being forced to pay even more to put the whole ordeal behind her.

While they can't identify exactly why, Shakira has put forth an extra $7.2 million. TMZ speculates that it could either be a new additional settlement agreement or a bond payment of sorts. That would bring the total amount she's paid to escape her tax burden at around $34 million. When the investigation first emerged last year Shakira was facing an 8-year prison sentence resulting from the charges against her. The allegations center around a specific period from 2012 to 2014. During that time she's accused of avoiding paying millions in owed taxes. Check out the full story below.

Shakira Paying Even More In Tax Settlement

In the wake of the news of the investigation and her breakup with Gerard Pique, Shakira reportedly tried to leave Spain. Reports said that she was trying to settle in Miami. It ultimately didn't help her avoid the penalties she was facing back home. The report allegedly came from close friends. They claimed they were trying to get her to make the move to Florida at the time. Though the primary motivation seems now to have had more to do with putting separation between her and Pique more than anything else.

Earlier this year the legendary singer got some jabs in at her ex and his new girlfriend. She threw some shade at Pique during Billboard's Latin Women in Music event. That came just a few months after having some harsh words for his new girl. She's been tied to numerous stars in the months since though nothing seems to have evolved beyond rumors yet. What do you think of Shakira being forced to pay an extra $7 million on top of the original $27 million settlement? Let us know in the comment section below.

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About The Author

Lavender Alexandria

Lavender Alexandria is a music and culture journalist based in Los Angeles, California. She’s covered dozens of musical genres and styles from the most mainstream to the most experimental and underground on her blog and accompanying YouTube channel that looks at music, pop culture, and Billboard charts since 2017: Lav’s Music Corner. Lavender has produced editorial and listicle content both in written and video form over the past far years and has also interviewed up-and-coming artists like Censored Dialogue. Her experiences covering culture have taken her from Hyperpop parties in LA to underground rap shows in Atlanta, to DIY punk shows in Charlotte. Lavender has also written for iHeartRadio, covering some of the biggest artists in Hip Hop such as Ice Spice, Drake, Doja Cat and Cardi B. She also has bylines with ScreenRant and continues to write for Ringtone magazine. Lavender is a lifelong Charlotte Hornets fan and her favorite rap artists include Clipping, Little Simz, Earl Sweatshirt, and Kendrick Lamar.