BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Pop star Shakira is facing further trouble from Spain’s tax office after a court near Barcelona announced on Thursday that it had agreed to initiate an investigation into a second case of alleged tax fraud by the Colombian singer.
Shakira is already scheduled to face trial at a later date for allegedly not paying 14.5 million euros ($13.9 million) in taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014. The singer has denied any wrongdoing.
A Spanish judge has now agreed with state prosecutors to investigate two potential cases of tax fraud by Shakira from 2018. The court has provided no information regarding the amount of money involved. Both cases are being handled by a court in the town of Esplugues de Llobregat, near Barcelona.
The first case, which is set to go to trial, revolves around Shakira’s place of residence from 2012 to 2014. Prosecutors in Barcelona have claimed that the Grammy winner spent more than half of that period in Spain and should have paid taxes in the country, despite her official residence being in the Bahamas.
Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, has been associated with Spain since she began dating the now-retired soccer player Gerard Pique.
The couple, who have two children, resided together in Barcelona until last year when they ended their 11-year relationship.
Spain has taken strict action against soccer stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo over the past decade for not paying their taxes in full.
Both players were found guilty of evasion but avoided imprisonment due to a provision that allows sentences under two years to be waived by a judge for first-time offenders.