Court orders Shakira to stand trial for tax fraud

A Spanish court has ordered Colombian music superstar Shakira to stand trial on charges of tax fraud to the tune of €14.5 million (S$20 million), with prosecutors seeking an eight-year sentence, filings showed on Tuesday.

- Prosecutors in Barcelona said in July they would seek to have the singer jailed for more than eight years alongside a fine of nearly €24 million, after she rejected a plea deal over allegations of tax evasion.

They are accusing the 45-year-old Hips Don't Lie singer of defrauding the Spanish tax office of €14.5 million on income earned between 2012 and 2014.

Prosecutors say Shakira moved Spain in 2011 when her relationship with Spanish footballer Gerard Pique became public, but maintained official tax residency in the Bahamas until 2015. The couple, who have two children, announced their separation in June.

On Sept 19, a Barcelona court ordered the singer to stand trial for six alleged tax crimes, according to a ruling made public on Tuesday.

In a statement, Shakira's lawyers said "the order to proceed with the oral hearing" was expected and that her legal team would "do its job by presenting its arguments at the appropriate time”.