By Natalia Rueda 
After months of legal battles, the famous Colombian singer, Shakira, has managed to avoid trial and a possible sentence of up to eight years in prison after reaching an agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office and private accusations in the tax fraud case that bore her name.
Appearing before the Barcelona Court on Monday, Shakira admitted to having defrauded 14.5 million euros in taxes between 2012 and 2014 and agree to pay fine of 7.8 million euros. In addition, the singer has returned the 14.5 million euros she owed, plus another three million in interest, which has allowed the prosecution to apply an important mitigating factor in the case. The singer’s defense team had reached a last-minute agreement with the prosecution.
This is not the only legal problem facing the artist, who is also currently under investigation for an alleged non-payment of more than six million euros in taxes corresponding to 2018. However, this second case could be affected by the agreement reached in the first trial.
The singer, considered one of the most important Latin artists of today, has made it clear that this decision has been taken for the welfare of her children and her career.
With this agreement, the Colombian singer joins a long list of celebrities who have been in trouble with the law for tax evasion. The agreement reached by Shakira implies not only the payment of a high fine, but also the admission of her guilt in the facts she was accused of. Despite this, the singer is confident that she will be able to move forward with her career and maintain her prestige as an artist, which she herself has described as her “greatest asset”.
With information from La Vanguardia