Pop singer Shakira, full name Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, could face up to eight years and two months in prison if prosecutors in Spain have their way.
Prosecutors asked a court in Spain on Friday for the pop star to face the lengthy prison sentence if convicted of alleged tax fraud in an expected trial, the Associated Press reported.
The 45-year-old was indicted on six charges earlier this month, but she rejected a settlement deal and opted for a trial.
Shakira allegedly failed to pay the Spanish government what’s equivalent to about $15 million in taxes between 2012 and 2014, the report said.
On top of the years-long prison sentence, prosecutors want the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer to pay a fine equivalent to about $24 million.
The singer “has always cooperated and abided by the law, demonstrating impeccable conduct as an individual and a taxpayer,” Shakira’s publicists said in a statement released Friday.
The mother of two deposited what she owes to the government, plus millions more in interest, Shakira’s public relations team claimed this week.
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