Shakira, the renowned Colombian artist, has reached an agreement with Spanish prosecutors to avoid trial for tax fraud, resulting in her paying a fine exceeding €7.3 million ($7.98 million), as confirmed by a Barcelona court on Monday.
The prosecutors had accused the superstar of defrauding the Spanish government of approximately €14.5 million ($15.7 million) in income earned between 2012 and 2014.
However, Shakira refuted these charges, asserting that she only relocated to Spain permanently in 2015.
To resolve the matter and prevent the trial for the 46-year-old singer, a deal was announced.
The agreement necessitates Shakira receiving a suspended prison sentence of three years, in addition to paying a fine of €7.33 million ($7.98 million), equating to half of the total sum of unpaid taxes.
Furthermore, in order to avoid serving the jail term, Shakira will also pay a separate fine of €432,000, thus bringing her overall payment to approximately €7.8 million.
The singer, who had previously rejected a deal offered by prosecutors, said in a statement she had settled “with the best interest of my kids at heart who do not want to see their mom sacrifice her personal well-being in this fight.”
She added, “I need to move past the stress and emotional toll of the last several years and focus on the things I love – my kids and all the opportunities to come in my career, including my upcoming world tour and my new album.
“I admire tremendously those who have fought these injustices to the end, but for me, today, winning is getting my time back for my kids and my career.”
