Shakira in prison? The singer could spend 8 years in jail

The Barcelona prosecutor's office accuses Colombian artist Shakira of committing six tax crimes and defrauding almost 15 million euros between 2012 and 2014. The Public Prosecutor's Office presented its indictment on Friday to the court investigating the case, after the Barcelona High Court endorsed that it should go to trial. In fact, the Barcelona Prosecutor's Office is asking for eight years and two months in prison for Shakira.

The origin of the case begins in 2017 when the so-called the investigation conducted by the ICIJ revealed that the Colombian singer resided in Barcelona with her then husband, FC Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué. However, the Colombian artist was all the time lying and saying that she lived in the Bahamas.

The investigation also claimed that the singer managed in two tax-advantaged countries, Malta and Luxembourg, some 31.6 million euros in royalties from her songs.

The singer's lawyers clarified that she had resided in the Bahamas since 2004, but the following years she had to travel "non-stop", and that, until 2015, her presence in Spain did not exceed the term that obliges her to pay taxes and that the management of those millions had been carried out since 2007 through a Maltese company that "complies with all legal requirements".

The prosecution has tried to make different deals with the singer, however, she has decided to reject them all, firmly trusting in her innocence. In a statement, Shakira assured that she has opted to "leave the matter in the hands of the law, with the tranquility and confidence that justice will prove her right". Although the prosecution and defense did not reach a plea agreement, the singer could still reach a plea agreement with the prosecution until the day of the trial.