The singer paid a hefty fine to the Spanish government
She is one of the most famous pop stars on the planet, but as the famous saying goes, there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes.
Not even Shakira is immune from the latter, as the Colombian pop star has avoided a potential 8-year jail term by striking a deal with Spanish authorities for unpaid taxes.
The 'Hips Don't Lie' singer was charged last year with defrauding the Spanish government, who claimed that she owed them €14.5 million in unpaid taxes between 2012 and 2014, when she lived in Barcelona for a period of that time. The singer was formerly married to former FC Barcelona player Gerard Pique.
She initially claimed they were "false accusations" - but the government doubled down and added further charges to the list.
The government sought an 8-year prison sentence and a fine of €24 million, but just as the trial was set to begin yesterday it was announced that she had reached a settlement - at least for the first round of charges - by agreeing to pay a fine of €7.3 million, a 3-year suspended sentence and a further fine of €432,000 for having the sentence waived. She will also now have on her legal record that she is guilty of tax fraud.
She released a statement saying: "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. 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."
Earlier this year, Shakira went viral with a diss track written about her former husband Pique after he allegedly began a new relationship with a 22-year-old student.