Pop star Shakira to face a second tax probe in Spain

Shakira is facing more trouble from Spain’s tax office after a court near Barcelona has agreed to launch an investigation into a second case of alleged tax fraud.

The Colombian pop star is already set to face trial at a date to be determined for allegedly failing to pay €14.5 million (£12.5 million) in taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014.

She has denied any wrongdoing.

Now, a Spanish judge has agreed with state prosecutors to probe two possible cases of tax fraud from 2018, though the court said it had no information on how much money was in question.

Both cases are being handled by a court in the town of Esplugues de Llobregat, just outside of Barcelona.

The first case that is set to go to trial hinges on where Shakira lived during 2012-14.

Prosecutors in Barcelona have alleged the Grammy winner spent more than half of that period in Spain and should have paid taxes in the country, even though her official residence was in the Bahamas.

Shakira’s public relations firm, Llorente y Cuenca, said in a statement in Spanish that the artist had "always acted in concordance with the law and on the advice of her financial advisers."

The firm said that Shakira, who now lives in Miami, has yet to receive notification of the second probe.

"(Shakira) is now focused on her artistic career in Miami and is calm and confident that she will receive a favorable resolution of her fiscal issues," the firm said.

Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, has been linked to Spain since she started dating the now-retired football star Gerard Pique.

The couple, who have two children, lived together in Barcelona until last year, when they ended their 11-year relationship.

Spain has cracked down on footballers including Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo over the past decade for not paying their full due in taxes.

They were found guilty of evasion but both avoided prison time thanks to a provision that allows a judge to waive sentences under two years in length for first-time offenders.

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