The popular Colombian singer Shakira has finally cleared the air about Spain’s multimillion tax evasion charges. The pop star told Elle magazine on Monday that the prosecutor’s claims that she spent at least 183 days each year in Spain between 2012 and 2014 were false.

The first charges against Shakira were filed in December 2018, when prosecutors accused her of owing the government $15 million in taxes. After three years of probing into the matter, Judge Marco Juberas found adequate criminality evidence to recommend Shakira’s trial, prosecutors said.

Shakira confirmed she hadn’t spent the 183 days claimed by Spanish Tax Office in Spain, as she was fulfilling international duties. She insisted she owed nothing to the Spanish government, even before the lawsuit. According to her prosecutor, she qualified as a tax-paying resident, claims she rejects entirely. Shakira further claims that after listing the Bahamas as her home, she now faces up to eight years behind bars. However, she told Elle reporters she would fight relentlessly against what she believed were false and unfair charges.

Even though Shakira moved to Barcelona in 2011 to marry her former husband, 35-year-old Spanish soccer player Gerard Pique, with whom she shares sons Milan, 9, and Sasha, 7, the Grammy Award-winning singer is accused of faking to live overseas to avoid paying taxes.

She admitted to Elle, “I went on a worldwide tour while Gerard I was dating. There was no way I could have been considered a resident because I had spent over 240 days away from Spain.  When the Spanish tax officials learned I was dating a Spanish citizen; they began to drool.”

Shakira said that the government was determined to pursue millions from her. She continued to perform all around the world for years, but they continued to pursue her. 

The singer criticized the Spanish tax authorities, claiming that they target average taxpayers, as well as famous people like Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Xabi Alonso.

In July 2022, when the lawsuit was first revealed to the public, Shakira’s representative said, “Shakira has cooperated and complied with the legal system, exhibiting exceptional behavior as a person and a taxpayer, and diligently following the advice of Price Waterhouse Coopers, a prestigious and internationally renowned tax firm.”

According to the representative, the Spanish Tax Office pursues baseless tax cases even though they lose 50% of the lawsuits.  The representative concluded that Shakira is innocent, and that it will be verified at the end of the judicial process.

Shakira’s spokesperson told Elle that Spanish tax officials use publicity campaigns to influence public opinion via the media and social media, in an effort to compel celebrities to comply when they fear loss of popularity due to publicized accusations. In other words, pay up and make the story go away. 

Shakira made her remarks during what she described as “the worst hour of my life,” which included other issues, including her father’s illness and her difficult split from soccer player Gerard Piqué. She claimed that Piqué’s nationality had unintentionally made her legal struggles harder.

The civil tax lawsuit has no court date yet, but the troubled singer does have some famous friends who will cheer her up until then. Shakira seems to have no lack of support from friends like Black Eyed Peas artist will.i.am, who is offering her prayers, and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who is frequently checking in.