Shakira criticizes Spanish authorities after settling $15 million tax fraud case

Shakira sharply criticized Spanish authorities after settling her $15 million tax fraud case.

The “Hips Don't Lie” singer spoke out about her legal battle and admitted what made her most angry about the tax fraud case.

“The most frustrating thing was to see that a state institution seemed more interested in publicly burning me at the stake than listening to my reasons,” Shakira told the Spanish newspaper “El Mundo,” according to People magazine.

Shakira scores major victory in fight against tax evasion, days after her Met Gala debut

The Colombian music star said she agreed to settle her battle over millions of dollars in tax evasion to “protect” her two young sons.

“I want to leave my children the legacy of a woman who explained her reasons calmly and at her own pace, when she felt it was necessary, not when she was forced to,” Shakira noted.

“The most frustrating thing was to see that a government institution seemed more interested in publicly burning me at the stake than listening to my reasons.”

— Shakira

“They must know that I made these decisions to protect them, to be by their side and to move on with my life. Not out of cowardice or guilt.”

She has two children with her ex Gerard Piqué, Milan, 11, and Sasha, 9.

SHAKIRA ACCUSED OF TAX EVASION FOR SECOND TIME; OWE SPANISH GOVERNMENT $7.1 MILLION IN TAXES: PROSECUTOR

Shakira reached a settlement in November 2023 in Barcelona, ​​Spain, in a multi-million dollar tax fraud trial. (Getty Images)

Shakira continued: “They wanted the public to believe that I had not paid my taxes, when in reality I had paid much more than I should have.” She claimed that she only decided to live in Spain in 2015 and when she did, the authorities “immediately tried to withhold taxes from her for the last 10 years.”

“What seemed like a polite way to formalize my situation turned out to be a trap,” she explained. “A person who spends their time traveling the world cannot have the intention of being a tax resident in a place just because the person they are currently in a relationship with lives there.”

She also accused the Spanish tax authorities of “intimidating people, threatening them with prison, jeopardising the peace of mind of our children and pressuring us to break ourselves.”

“Some may wonder why I am bothering to make these statements now,” she said. The first reason is my children. We live in an era marked by a tone of arrogance on the part of the state, but harassment is not the same as giving reasons. Things will not be solved by burning a public figure at the stake every year, as if it were an inquisition process to restore lost prestige.”

Shakira and Gerard Piqué were never officially married, but were together for years. (Getty Images)

She added: “No one can write my story for me. Just like my songs, I sing to live peacefully again, to turn the page.”

Shakira was accused of owing 6.7 million euros ($7.2 million) in taxes on her 2018 income. The Spanish government claimed Shakira used an offshore company to avoid paying the money, but the charges were dropped in May.

In November, she reached an agreement with the Spanish government in another tax evasion case. Prosecutors said the Colombian singer lived in Barcelona for more than half of her time between 2012 and 2014 and amassed a tax debt of $15.4 million.

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Shakira was accused of paying 6.7 million euros (7.2 million dollars) in taxes on her 2018 income. (John Parra/WireImage)

The “Whenever, Wherever” singer claimed her official residence was in the Bahamas at the time – meaning she did not owe the Spanish government those taxes.

On the first day of the trial, Shakira decided to accept the deal despite having rejected a previous offer.

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Shakira has two children with her ex-boyfriend Gerard Piqué: Milan (11) and Sasha (9). (Photo by Rodrigo Varela/Getty Images for Latin Recording Academy)

Shakira was fined 7 million euros ($7.6 million) and given a three-year suspended sentence. The musician was also fined 432,000 euros ($472,000) additionally.

If found guilty, she could have spent eight years in prison and received a fine of over $26 million.

“While I was determined to defend my innocence in a trial that my lawyers were confident would have been in my favor, I have made the decision to finally settle this matter in the best interests of my children, who do not want their mother to sacrifice her personal well-being in this fight,” Shakira's legal team told Fox News Digital at the time.

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Lauryn Overhultz of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.