Shakira liable for a trial in court

A court judge in Barcelona has ruled out that Shakira is liable to stand a trail following allegations of tax evasion. The celebrated artist is alleged to have evaded tax amounting to  17 million dollars. The judge cited there is enough evidence pointing to a possibility of trial for evading tax in three years. Judge Marco Juberias noted that Shakira lived in Spain for more than 200 days in each of 2012, 2013 and 2014 making her liable for tax remittance.

There is a heated argument between her lawyers and the tax agency in Spain over main residence meaning. Her lawyers argued that she was in Bahamas as her main residence. But from the investigation in the local media indicates that she has a home in Barcelona living with Barcelona football club player Gerard Pique. Shakira and Gerard Pique has two children.

The judge in Esplugues de Llobregat said that Shakira together with her financial manager used a number of companies as proxies in the off-shore tax so as to conceal her income sources during the days she was there. Her lawyers also responded saying that was expected in the probing process and maintains its trust and cooperation in search of justice through the process. They have maintained that they will stand by that and won’t provide any other response.

The tax code in Spain states that anyone residing in Spain for at least 6 months and a day or rather 183 days in a year is subjected to pay tax in the country.