Shakira has broken her silence on the legal proceedings she has faced with the tax authorities, accusing them of “machismo” and acting with the intention of exposing her publicly. In a letter published by ‘El Mundo’, the Colombian singer detailed how she experienced what she calls a “capricious” tax persecution, which He was more interested in humiliating him than in doing him justice..
“The most frustrating thing was to see that a state institution seemed more interested in burning me publicly at the stake “I don’t listen to my reasons,” Shakira says. The artist also criticizes the way the case against her was prepared, calling the story constructed by the Treasury “artificial.”
Shakira also points out that if an American had been in her shoes in a similar situation, it is likely that the tax authorities would not have considered that he had an “intention to settle”. “There is a structural machismo”he states in the letter.
According to the singer, her presence in Spain was not intended to establish her residence, but rather to make her relationship with former footballer Gerard Piqué prosper. However, Spanish law provides that anyone who succeeds more than 184 days in the country is obliged to pay taxes, regardless of his intentions.
In the letter, Shakira also criticizes the director of the Tax Agency’s inspection, Javier Hurtadowhich she accuses of having publicly criminalized her by suggesting that she had already been the subject of an investigation for creating opaque companies and using tax havens.
Finally, the artist explains that his decision to plead guilty was not based on an admission of guilt, but on the need to Protect your children from a long and painful legal processAlthough she faces up to eight years in prison and a fine of 23 million euros, Shakira reached an agreement with the prosecution that allowed her to avoid three years in prison in exchange for the payment of 7.8 million euros.
