Madrid, Europe Brief News – Pop star Shakira is scheduled to stand trial in a Spanish court for allegations of tax fraud amounting to €14.5m (£12.9m).
A Barcelona court has ordered the singer to stand trial for six alleged tax crimes, without setting a special date.
Spanish prosecutors want to jail the superstar for eight years and fine her €23.8m if she appears guilty.
The 45-year-old has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
“I am confident that I have enough proof to support my case. Justice will prevail in my favour”, she said recently in an interview with the Spanish edition of Elle magazine.
Shakira’s legal team said in a statement that they would do their job “by presenting [the] arguments at the appropriate time”.
She had previously rejected a deal offered by prosecutors, instead opting to go to trial.
Under Spanish law, people who spend more than six months in the country are considered residents for tax purposes. But Shakira says Spain was not where she was mainly living at the time.
In July, prosecutors issued a document which claimed that she bought a house in Barcelona in 2012, which became a family home for her and her then-partner, Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué.
Spain has cracked down on soccer stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo over the past decade for not paying their full due in taxes. They appeared guilty of evasion. But both avoided prison time thanks to a provision that allows a judge to waive sentences under two years in length for first-time offenders.
