A Spanish court formally ordered Colombian superstar Shakira to stand trial on allegations that she failed to pay 14.5 million euros ($14.31 million) in income taxes, according to a court document made public.
The 45-year-old "Hips Don't Lie" singer Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll declined an opportunity to settle the case in July, which meant she would have to go to trial in a case that could result in an eight-year prison sentence.
The trial will continue at an unidentified time, according to a Tuesday announcement from the Esplugues de Llobregat court.
The singer is accused of not paying taxes between 2012 and 2014, a time period during which she claimed to be living a “nomadic existence” due to her job, and the prosecutor is seeking an eight-year prison sentence.
According to a statement from Shakira’s lawyer,”The order to send Shakira to trial is just another step in any proceedings of this kind. The situation has not changed and everything continues as normal. Shakira’s legal defence will do its job by presenting its written arguments at the appropriate time.”
Last week, Shakira pledged to fight what she called “false” claims made by Spanish authorities and noted that before they brought a lawsuit, she had already paid what the Spanish tax office claimed she owed.