Shakira has been accused by the Spanish authorities of evading 14.5 million euros (about $13.9 million) in taxes on earnings from 2012 to 2014 according to a court judgment that was made public on Tuesday. The singer was ordered by a court in Barcelona to appear in court on September 19 to face six tax-related offences. 

The Hips Don't Lie singer, 45, is one of the biggest stars in the global music industry, with over 60 million albums sold. Shakira was mentioned among prominent people linked to offshore assets in one of the largest ever leaks of financial records, known as the "Pandora Papers," in October 2021.

Since the Colombian-born singer began dating soccer player Gerard Pique, Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, has been linked to Spain. 

The three-time winner of the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, is best known for her songs "Hips Don't Lie," "Whenever, Wherever," and "Waka Waka," which was used as the 2010 FIFA Cup song.

Barcelona prosecutors claim the Grammy winner should have paid Spanish taxes because she spent more than half that time in the nation, despite the fact that her legal abode was in the Bahamas. Six alleged violations of monetary law have been brought against her by three different government agencies.

The major question in this dispute is whether the singer actually resided in Spain during that period of time or simply spent more than 183 days in the nation, the latter of which would make her a tax resident of Spain if she did live there.

Shakira has rejected a bargain with authorities that would have allowed her to avoid going to trial and has continuously denied any wrongdoing. According to her public relations firm, she has already paid everything that she owes in full, plus an additional 3 million euros ($2.8 million) in interest. Shakira categorically refutes claims that she committed a tax fraud and expressed certainty that she had acted properly and did not owe the Spanish tax authorities any money. 

The Grammy winner explained why she wouldn't settle with Spanish authorities in an interview with Elle magazine published last week: she had proof that she hadn't been a resident of Spain for those three years.

Shakira is charged with six offences in the indictment. This week, the artist opted to go to trial rather than accept a plea bargain from prosecutors.

In the past decade, Spain has taken a hard stance against soccer superstars who have not paid their fair share of taxes, like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. While both were found guilty of evasion, they were spared jail time because of a law that permits judges to suspend prison terms of less than two years for first-time offenders.

In the case of Shakira, a similar possibility had been considered: the two parties had discussed the possibility of reducing the prison term to two years and the prosecution agreeing to potentially put a hold on the execution of the punishment. After the defence team turned down the arrangement, there was no longer an alternative to pursue.

Shakira's representatives in London issued a statement on Friday, claiming that their client "has always cooperated and abided by the law, demonstrating impeccable conduct as an individual and a taxpayer," 

and claimed that the Spanish Tax Agency had violated her rights.

Earlier this week, Shakira's public relations team in Spain said that the singer had paid back the money she was rumoured to owe, plus interest of 3 million euros.