Shakira calls tax fraud case 'smear campaign', fires back at Spanish authorities

Colombian singer Shakira recently walked into murky waters with the Spanish authorities regarding taxation.

As per media reports, the "Whenever Wherever" singer was accused of failing to pay more than USD 14 million in income tax between 2012 and 2014.

In response to the allegations, the 45-year-old filed legal docs in Spain, calling the allegation a "violation of her right to privacy" and a "smear campaign”.

The "Loca" singer claims that she was not a resident of the west European country during the aforementioned period, as per reports.

During the period in question, the Grammy-winning songstress said that she was part of the American musical TV show 'The Voice' as a coach. She paid USD 10,141,075 to the US government in taxes.

According to Spanish law, the songstress would need to pay taxes on spending 183 days or more in the country. Shakira claims she was not in Spain for the required time, as per reports.

If convicted in the upcoming trial, the "Ojos Asi" singer might suffer 8-year imprisonment along with a USD 24 million fine.

But the singer's legal docs may work out in her favour. They reveal that she had paid upwards of 90 million USD to the Spanish government.

The docs also show that Shakira only declared herself as a tax resident of Spain in 2015, when she had settled with her family in the country, according to a report by a media outlet.

According to the "Rabiosa" singer, the Spanish administration is also accusing her of payment failure in 2011, even though she remained in the country for merely 60 days due to her musical tour.