Shakira will stand trial in Spain after being accused of dodging roughly $14 million dollars in unpaid taxes.
A spokesperson in Barcelona for the Audiencia Nacional confirmed to ABC News that the Grammy winner has been ordered to stand trial. Shakira has been charged with tax fraud for allegedly not paying income taxes in Spain between 2012 and 2014. Prosecutors allege she owes the nation roughly 14.5 million euros or $14 million USD.
Spanish prosecutors allege Spain was Shakira's primary residence during that time period, so she was obligated to pay the country's income tax.
The "Objection (Tango)" singer denies any wrongdoing. In a recent interview with ELLE, the hitmaker addressed her legal woes and called them "false accusations."
Shakira refuted the claim she mainly resided in Spain between 2012 and 2014, adding she was "busy fulfilling my professional commitments around the world." She noted further, "I've paid everything they claimed I owed, even before they filed a lawsuit. So as of today, I owe zero to them."
The singer also said she was advised by "one of the four biggest tax specialist firms in the world" at the time and is "confident" she was "doing things correctly and transparently from day one."
She then accused prosecutors of intentionally harming her reputation by planting "salacious" stories about her in the press.
In all, Shakira believes she will be vindicated in court. "I'm confident that I have enough proof to support my case and that justice will prevail in my favor," she declared.
If convicted, however, Shakira could spend up to eight years in prison and pay a hefty fine.
A trial date has not been announced.
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