One of the biggest names in music could be forced to go to jail over tax fraud.

Spanish newspaper El Mundo report that prosecutors have recommended an 8-year jail term for the 'Hips Don't Lie' singer after she was accused of defrauding the Spanish treasury of €14.5 million in unpaid taxes.

A court form called for the singer to spend 8 years in prison, as well as paying a fine of €24 million for her alleged crimes against the Spanish treasury.

The singer will appear in court as part of the proceedings, and must demonstrate to the court that she has paid all outstanding debt to the Spanish exchequer in order to avoid jail time.

The case will rumble on for months, with the case stemming from Shakira failing to properly pay taxes between the years of 2012 and 2014.

Shakira has pleaded her innocence, saying she was not a resident of Spain at the time.

Responding to the court's findings, Shakira said "the Prosecutor's Office has insisted on collecting the money earned on my international tours and on 'The Voice' when I was not yet a resident in Spain, and they have resorted to improper means to pressure, as they do daily and unfairly with thousands of taxpayers for profit."

Earlier this week, Reuters quoted her as saying she felt the case was "a total violation of her rights."

"The singer is fully confident of her innocence and therefore does not accept a settlement," the statement said.

The Spanish state has a penchant for tackling the tax affairs of some of its most prominent citizens.

Her former partner, Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, was ordered to pay €2.1 in unpaid taxes to the Spanish state in 2019, after he failed to declare income from image rights between the years of 2008 and 2010.

Pique's former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi was under the spotlight for his tax affairs, with the Argentine convicted for failing to declare €4.1 million in taxes in 2017.

Messi was ordered to serve 21 months in prison after being found guilty, but this was later reduced to a €250,000 fine in 2017.

Messi's rival Cristiano Ronaldo was fined a whopping €18.8 million in 2019 after failing to declare income tax between 2010 and 2014 during his time playing for Real Madrid.

Oscar-winning Spanish director Pedro Almodovar was named in the Panama Papers in 2016, with the auteur telling The Guardian he felt "used by the media" for his involvement in the off-shore tax scheme.