Shakira could face imprisonment if she does not reach an agreement with Barcelona's tax authorities, according to the president of the Union of Treasury Technicians in Spain.

The union's president Carlos Cruzado spoke on a late-night talk show about Shakira's tax fraud case after the "Waka-Waka" singer decided to reject a deal offered by the Barcelona prosecutor's office, according to Marca.

"She runs a very great risk of being charged with six tax offenses, with the penalties that this could entail," Cruzado noted.

Cruzado also said that most of Shakira's tax offenses are aggravated, with penalties that could reach up to six years in prison for each of the offenses if she is found guilty of tax evasion. He noted that he was surprised that Shakira risked going to trial with a sentence that could land her in jail.

The union president added that the authorities have evidence, and each of the Public Prosecutor's Office, which filed the complaint, the judge who admitted it, and the Barcelona Provincial Court "see signs" of a crime that they need to take legal action to.

The expert said the mitigating factor was that the Colombian singer paid the amount declared by the tax authorities.

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Shakira Chooses Trial Instead of Agreement With Barcelona Authorities Over Tax Issue

On Wednesday, Shakira opted to go on trial for tax fraud instead of accepting the deal offered by the Barcelona prosecutor's office.

Page Six reported that the Colombian pop star wanted to go to trial instead of settling the allegations that she defrauded Spain's government of $14.7 million in taxes.

Shakira's public relations team said the singer "trusts her innocence and chooses to leave the issue in the hands of the law."

Shakira's public relations firm Llorente y Cuenca added that the singer had already deposited the amount she is said to owe with the Spanish Tax Agency and has no pending tax debts.

In 2018, Spain's tax agency charged the singer with failing to pay 14.5 million euros ($14.7 million) in taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014. Shakira has reportedly paid 16.8 million euros ($17.2 million) in an attempt to fix her tax situation.

Spanish authorities argued in their lawsuit that Shakira had been resident in Spain since 2012. But Shakira's legal team said she was a resident in the Bahamas, where she owns a property, and the Colombian singer's presence in Spain was "sporadic" until 2015.

Thus, her legal team noted that Shakira was not obliged to pay income tax in Spain. Some reports said despite being listed as a resident in the Bahamas, Shakira was living with her ex-boyfriend, Gerard Pique, in Barcelona at the time.

Shakira Is 'Confident in Her Innocence' Over Tax Evasion Allegations

Shakira's representative noted that the "Hips Don't Lie" singer is "confident" that her innocence regarding the tax evasion allegation will be proven in the trial.

"The singer is fully confident of her innocence and therefore does not accept a settlement," Shakira's PR team said in the statement.

On Thursday, a representative for Shakira told E! News that the singer has always cooperated and abided by the law, adding that the Colombian pop star has "demonstrated impeccable conduct as an individual and a taxpayer."

The representative then pointed out that the Spanish Tax Office continued to violate the singer's rights and labeled the case against her as "baseless."

A source close to Shakira told E! News in 2018 that the singer did not reside in Spain longer than 183 days between 2012 and 2014. And when Shakira spent more than the said number of days in a fiscal year, the performer "took the initiative" to declare herself a tax resident in Spain and "pay taxes in this country."

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

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