Shakira isn’t backing down. The “Hips Don’t Lie” songstress, 45, hit back at Spanish authorities on Nov. 25, calling their $14 million tax fraud case against her a total sham. Shakira declared her innocence while accusing authorities of having “no solid evidence” against her in a statement from her legal team shared with the Daily Mail.
“Shakira is a taxpayer who has always shown impeccable tax conduct and has never had tax problems in any other jurisdiction,” the statement read. “With no solid evidence to support the charges against her, she has been fiercely persecuted in the criminal and media spheres using unacceptable methods to damage her reputation and force her to come to a settlement agreement.”
The same day she filed legal documents in her defense. Shakira claims she is not a full-time resident of the country from 2012 to 2014, therefore is exempt from having to pay income taxes. According to Spanish law, she would be required to pay taxes if she spends 183 days or more there in a single year, according to TMZ. The star went on to claim that she did pay $10,141,075 in taxes to the U.S. government during the period in question, when she was working in the States as a judge on The Voice.
The statement went on with some words from the pop star herself. She told the public, “It is unacceptable that in its accusation the tax authorities are not respecting the legal certainty that must be guaranteed to any taxpayer, not my fundamental rights. In my case, they have violated my right to privacy and the presumption of innocence, basic rights of any citizen.”
It went on to explain why Shakira was ready to take the case to trial. (As of Nov. 25, 2022, a court date had yet to be scheduled.) “Shakira wishes to express her absolute confidence in the independence of the Spanish justice system and her firm conviction that, after the trial, her full innocence will prevail,” the statement read.
Shakira’s legal drama isn’t the only thing on her plate. The star has also been dealing with the fallout from her split from longtime partner Gerard Pique. Breaking her silence about her recent struggles in a September cover story for Elle magazine, the singer called it the “darkest hour of my life.”