Singer Shakira will have her day in court after being ordered to stand trial on charges she failed to pay millions of dollars in income taxes.
Although a trial date has not yet been set, the charges brought against the 45-year-old Colombian national could see her sent to prison for eight years if a court finds her guilty.
The pop star's trial is the latest in a string of tax evasion charges Spain has brought against high-profile people in the last 5 years, incusing soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Here is how we got here.
What is Shakira charged with?
Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, is accused of failing to pay 14.5 million euros ($21.6 million) in income tax between 2012 and 2014.
Spanish prosecutors argue Shakira spent more than half of each of these years residing in the northern region of Catalonia.
In July, prosecutors claimed that in 2012 she bought a house in Barcelona with her then-partner, soccer player Gerard Piqué.
Under Spanish law, people who spend more than six months in the country are considered residents for tax purposes.
What does Shakira say about the charges?
Shakira and her legal team have fiercely maintained her innocence, saying that during this time the singer was leading a "nomadic life" due to her career and touring.
In an interview with Elle magazine, Shakira claimed that authorities only came after her "with their eyes on the prize" when they found out she was dating FC Barcelona soccer player Gerard Piqué, who is Spanish.
"While Gerard and I were dating, I was on a world tour. I spent more than 240 days outside of Spain, so there was no way I qualified as a resident," she said.
"The Spanish tax authorities saw that I was dating a Spanish citizen and started to salivate. It's clear they wanted to go after that money no matter what."
Shakira added that she had already paid what the Spanish tax office said she owed before they filed a lawsuit.
Back in May, Shakira lost an appeal for the case to be dismissed, with a Spanish judge citing "sufficient evidence" for the pop star to face trial.
The singer's legal team released a statement at the time, saying "Shakira's conduct on tax matters has always been impeccable in all the countries she had to pay taxes and she has trusted and followed faithfully the recommendations of the best specialists and advisers."
Spain goes after other high-profile earners
Shakira isn't the only celebrity that has been hit with Spanish tax fraud charges over the past few years.
Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo signed a deal with a Spanish court in 2019 over claims that he created shell companies to hide income from image rights.
The settlement allowed Ronaldo to avoid jail time, but he was hit with a $29.9 million fine and a suspended jail sentence.
In 2017 Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi got caught up in the same tax fraud charges over concealing earnings from the sale of his image rights.
He was originally given a 21-month jail sentence and a $3 million fine but was given the option by a Spanish court to waive the jail time by paying an extra $378,000 fine.
In Spain, prison sentences under 24 months for first-time offenders can be waived by a judge.
Reuters/ABC
