Shakira accused of defrauding Spanish treasury out of £5.75 million with the singer due to go on trial for six counts of tax fraud

Colombian superstar, Shakira has been accused of defrauding the Spanish treasury out of £5.75 million by prosecutors who asked a court to investigate her for new tax breaches.

The 46-year-old singer-songwriter is due to go on trial on November 20 for six counts of tax fraud she allegedly committed in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

It first emerged in July that she was facing a new tax probe linked to alleged irregularities in her tax returns for 2018.

A court near Barcelona said an investigation had been opened at the request of state prosecutors.

Today the amount of money they are accusing her of defrauding as part of their new allegations against the Columbian mum-of-two was made public.

Reports in Spain said prosecutors were claiming she had failed to declare just over £13 million in income and claimed false deductions totalling around £5.5 million.

Respected Spanish daily El Mundo, one of several papers which offered more details today about the prosecution allegations against Shakira, also reported she was being accused of using companies in offshore tax havens for the alleged tax fraud.

Prosecutors are said to have asked the investigating judge to summon her for questioning via videolink from her new home in the States.

Shakira is facing up to eight years in prison if convicted of the six counts of tax fraud totalling £12.6 million she is facing trial for from November 20 at a court in Barcelona.

She has denied any wrongdoing and insisted she will fight the accusations levied against her in court instead of seeking a last-minute deal with Spanish state prosecutors.

The new tax probe is being conducted by a judge at a court in Esplugues de Llobregat, the same which launched the earlier investigation which resulted in the artist being ordered to stand trial later this year.

A spokesman for Catalonia’s High Court of Justice said in July: ‘Court of Instruction Number 2 in Esplugues de Llobregat has opened a procedure following a complaint presented by prosecutors against the singer Shakira for two suspected tax crimes related to income tax and wealth tax for the Spanish tax year of 2018.’

Her legal advisors reacted in a statement released at the time by saying: ‘Shakira has not received any formal notification of the Prosecutor’s complaint that has been, according to the media, filed for the fiscal year 2018.

‘Once again, as has been the case for the past several years, it is through the media that the singer has found out about the filing of this lawsuit, proving the public and reputational pressure to which she is being subjected.

‘The singer’s legal team will not make any comments until the notification reaches them through the official and legally established channels.

‘As it is publicly known, and as the Spanish Treasury was officially notified, Shakira is now living in Miami, so she must be notified personally at her new address in strict accordance with the provisions of the Law.

‘As she has already affirmed on numerous occasions, Shakira defends having always acted in accordance with the law and under the advice of the best tax experts.

‘She is now focused on her life as an artist in Miami and is confident that there will be a favourable resolution of her tax issues.’