Pop superstar Shakira faces tax evasion charges in Spain. The Colombian singer has been accused of evading taxes to the tune of around 14.5 million euros ($16.3 million). While she is a Columbian by birth, Shakira's partner—Gerard Pique—lives and works out of Spain.
Shakira was charged in the Catalonia region of Spain, where Pique plays. He plays for Barcelona in the Spanish league and the singer is known to regularly visit and watch matches in the stadium there. The tax evasion charges, according to a report by the Huffington Post, was for income she earned when staying and living in Spain between the years 2012 and 2014.
Shakira's representatives, however, claim that the singer did not live in Spain till 2015 and that she has met all her tax obligations in the years mentioned by the Spanish authorities.
Gerard Pique and the "Waka Waka" singer have, according to the report, been together since the beginning of this decade and the couple has two children.
The report mentions that this is the most recent in a long line of cases involving footballers, and their links to high-profile foreigners evading taxes while living in the country. The authorities have actually looked into footballers Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo, both high-profile stars in tax evasion cases. Ronaldo made the move from Real Madrid to Juventus this year.
