Shakira has settled her debt with the Spanish government.
According to reports by Spanish outlets, the “Waka Waka” singer paid more than 20 million euros (approximately $25 million) to the government of Spain, a portion of a debt authorities claim the singer has failed to settle.
Videos by PopCulture.com
The alleged debt and subsequent payment are related to the government’s ongoing investigation into the possibility of tax fraud, according to Yahoo News.
The investigation is reportedly attempting to establish whether or not the singer legally resided in Spain between 2011 and 2014, where she may have lived with her longtime boyfriend, Barcelona soccer player Gerard Pique. The pair have been together since 2010 and share two sons, 5-year-old Milan and 3-year-old Sasha.
According to Spanish law, if Shakira spent at least 183 days living in the country, she would be considered a legal resident, therefore fiscally responsible for paying taxes on her global income acquired during that period.
However, if she spent less than 183 days living in the country, she would be on the hook only for income earned in the country.
The “Try Everything” singer and her legal team reportedly claim that she was not living in Spain during the years in question and she did not try to willfully mislead investigators. Shakira claims to have been a legal resident of the Bahamas, where she owns a home and filed her taxes.
El Periodico detailed the extent of the government’s investigation into Shakira’s residency and potential tax fraud, which included interviewing her stylist and exhaustively studying paparazzi photos of the singer to pinpoint her location on different dates.
The 20 million euros Shakira reportedly paid is said to cover the debt the government believes she owes just in 2011 and authorities are still extensively investigating possible taxable income from 2012 through 2014.
The former voice coach recently postponed her North American tour due to a vocal chord injury.
“Though I very much hoped my vocal cords would recover in time to pick the tour back up in January, and after exploring many options to that effect, I have accepted that this is an injury that simply needs more time and care to heal,” Shakira wrote.
