Colombian singer Shakira pleaded guilty to tax fraud on Monday as part of a plea deal with Barcelona prosecutors. So he gets three years in prison, but because of the special Spanish legal system, he doesn’t have to go to prison.
According to the settlement, he must pay a fine of 7.3 million euros (2.7 billion forints) and – given his criminal record – will receive a three-year suspended prison sentence. The prosecution initially requested a fine of 23.8 million euros (8.8 billion forints) and eight years and two months in prison for Shakira.
“The most important thing for me right now is to do everything I can to give my children a full life and focus on what’s really important: seeing them grow up and spending time with them and not putting them through the agony of seeing their mother in a criminal trial ” – said the world star in the statement issued on the matter.
The court proceedings, surrounded by huge media interest, would have started on Monday in Barcelona, where the singer appeared in the morning accompanied by her legal representatives. According to the indictment, Shakira did not pay taxes on her foreign earnings between 2012 and 2014, even though she was already living in Spain. To prove this, the prosecution summoned 117 witnesses.
In addition to previously emphasizing her innocence, the Grammy Award-winning singer has already paid the 14.5 million euros (5.3 billion forints) debt demanded by the Spanish tax authorities, and an additional three million euros (1.1 billion forints) in interest.
