More than a year after reaching a settlement with Spanish prosecutors over tax fraud allegations, Lebanese-Colombian superstar Shakira is speaking out on her contentious legal battle.
The “Waka Waka” hitmaker opened up her reasons for striking a deal with the Spanish government in her November 2023 tax fraud trial in Barcelona only to “protect” her kids.
“I want to leave my children the legacy of a woman who explained her reasons calmly and in her own time, when she considered it necessary, not when she was forced to,” she wrote in a letter published in the Spanish newspaper, el Mundo, on Thursday.
“I need them to know that I made the decisions I made to protect them, to be by their side, and to get on with my life. Not out of cowardice or guilt.”
On the first day of her trial, Shakira avoided the risk of going to prison by agreeing to pay $7.6 million to the Spanish government for allegedly skipping out on $15.8 million in taxes between 2012 and 2014.
The Grammy winner, 47, maintained her innocence for nearly five years beforehand.
In the essay, Shakira wrote that the “state institution seemed more interested in publicly burning [her] at the stake than in listening to [her] reasons.”
The "Hips Don't Lie" singer also accused the government of crafting a story to make it look like she defrauded it of millions after formally relocating to Spain.
“In 2011, I wanted my relationship with Gerard Piqué to prosper, who at that time was tied to Spain for work reasons,” she recalled.
Piqué played professional soccer for FC Barcelona between 2008 and his retirement in 2022. They dated between 2011 and 2022 and share two sons: Milan, 11, and Sasha, 9.
Shakira continued, “Traveling to Spain created many complications for me because it forced me to be away from my work centers. Whenever I returned, I did so to make the relationship prosper, not because of a ‘vocation to stay.'”
She added that in 2011, she spent 73 days in Spain. The minimum amount of days to be considered a tax resident is 183, as declared by the Spanish government.
The Grammy winner also said when she officially moved to Spain in 2015, the tax office tried to charge her for a decade’s worth of taxes.
She added that she “always fulfilled” her tax obligations and was even cleared when the IRS investigated her.
Shakira also claimed she paid “much more” than she should have because she agreed to several “unjustified” fines.
Wrapping up her essay, she penned, “No one can write my story for me. Just like with my songs, I sing to live peacefully again, to turn the page.”
She shared a similar sentiment when she originally reached the November 2023 deal with Spain.
“I have made the decision to finally resolve this matter with the best interest of my kids at heart who do not want to see their mom sacrifice her personal well-being in this fight,” she said in a statement at the time.
“I need to move past the stress and emotional toll of the last several years and focus on the things I love, my kids, and all the opportunities to come in my career.”
In 2023, Shakira left Spain and moved to Miami following her separation from Piqué. In a lengthy social media post, she asked for privacy for the sake of her sons.
“I extend this petition no longer as an artist, but as a mother who wants to protect and care for the psychological and emotional well-being of her children so that they can live a healthy and happy life, as every child deserves,” she explained.
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