Prosecutors are seeking an eight-year jail term for Latin American superstar Shakira in a Spanish tax fraud case.
The Colombian singer - who has sold more than 80 million records worldwide with hits such as "Hips Don’t Lie" – is accused of failing to pay €14.5m (£12.2m) in tax income between 2012 and 2014.
Representatives for the 45-year-old pop star say she has always met all of her tax obligations and considers the case a “a total violation of her rights”.
"The singer is fully confident of her innocence and therefore does not accept a settlement," her representatives said.
The case hinges on where she lived during that period. Prosecutors allege it was mostly in Spain even though Shakira’s official residence was in the Bahamas.
The singer says that even though her legal team disagreed about the alleged debt, she paid the €17.2m the Spanish tax office claimed she owed, so has had no outstanding debt with the tax authorities for many years.
The prosecutor’s document states that the singer bought a house in Barcelona in May 2012 which became a family home for herself, her partner and their son.
It has called for an eight-year prison sentence and a fine of more than €23m (£19m) if she is found guilty. A trial date is yet to be set.
Representatives for Shakira have been contacted for comment.
Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, has two children with ex-Spain footballer Gerard Pique. The couple used to live together in Barcelona, but recently ended their 11-year relationship.
At the time of their split in June, the couple released a joint statement in which they said: "We regret to confirm that we are separating" and asked for privacy for their children.
They had been together since 2011 after they reportedly met while filming the video for her World Cup song "Waka Waka" the previous year.
The star, who made her recording debut at age 13, is now one of the world’s most famous pop stars with an estimated net worth of $300m.
She has served as a coach on two seasons of singing reality show The Voice and has starred in NBC’s dance challenge show, Dancing with Myself.
She has also worked as a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador and founded the Barefoot Foundation in 1997 to help poor children in Colombia gain an education.
