‘Zootopia’ Star Charged a SECOND Time For Tax Fraud

Her hips don’t lie, but, according to one government agency, her tax documents do.

Just weeks before she is set to face a Spanish court on charges of tax fraud, Brazilian songstress Shakira has found herself charged for a second time with alleged tax fraud. The Spanish Tax Agency is accusing the singer of defrauding the state of $7 million when she failed to file taxes in the country in 2018. They claim that, in that year, Shakira made $12.5 million. The profits were part of an advanced payment for her El Dorado World Tour.

The Spanish Tax Agency claims that Shakira was required to file taxes because, during that year, she was living in Barcelona, Spain with her (now ex) partner Gerard Piqué and their children. Shakira and Piqué dated from 2010 through 2022, when their relationship officially ended.

Per a report from Reuters:

Prosecutors argue that she was resident in Spain and so required to tax all her worldwide revenues there, no matter where they were earned. Instead, they say, she diverted money to “companies domiciled in countries with low taxation and high opacity”.

This is not the first time that the singer/actress has been charged with tax evasion by the Spanish government.

In late July of this year, she was charged by the same government agency with committing tax fraud in 2012, 2013, and 2014. The agency claims that she defrauded the government of approximately $13.9 million.

Related: Shakira Pays a Visit to Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

Lawyers for Shakira claim that, from 2012 through 2014, she spent the majority of her time living in the Bahamas. The Spanish Tax Agency begs to differ. According to the Tax Agency, Shakira spent more than 200 days per year living in Barcelona with her significant other and children. That means that she was a resident of Spain and, therefore, required to pay taxes.

When she was first charged with alleged tax fraud, Shakira was also reportedly offered a plea deal from Spanish prosecutors. She promptly turned it down, claiming that she was only being prosecuted because the Spanish government wanted her money. She said that during the time the government claims she was living in Barcelona, she was actually on tour.

The “Whenever, Wherever” singer called that time in her life “nomadic.”

“While Gerard and I were dating, I was on a world tour. I spent more than 240 days outside of Spain, so there was no way I qualified as a resident,” she said.

“The Spanish tax authorities saw that I was dating a Spanish citizen and started to salivate. It’s clear they wanted to go after that money no matter what,” the singer claimed.

At this time, we do not know if the government will add this second charge to the one she is going to court for in November. If found guilty, Shakira faces more than eight years in a Spanish prison.

The beloved Colombian singer became a part of the Disney family in 2016 when she starred in the hit Disney animated film Zootopia. In the film, she voiced Gazelle, a world-renowned singer who came to sing in the metropolis Zootopia. She returned to Disney in 2022, when she reprised her role as Gazelle for the Disney+ original series Zootopia+.

Related: Fans Stunned By Disney’s New Zootopia Land!

Shakira has maintained her innocence and believes that she will prove her case in court. She says that any money she owed the Spanish government has already been paid in full.