Shakira's Spanish Tax Fraud Scandal Has Memes Spawning On Twitter

Colombian pop singer Shakira, embroiled in a controversy over tax fraud, had rejected the plea deal by the Spanish Tax Agency. As a result, a Spanish prosecutor has proposed Shakira be imprisoned for over eight years and fined more than 23 million euros ($23.51 million), as reported on Friday by Spanish newspaper El Pai.

In response to these allegations, many reacted differently online. Some joked that if the pop star were imprisoned, they would break into the Spanish prison and free her. Parody videos and memes have also been created about the musician as a result of the claims. 

Shakira Tax Fraud Scandal

One tweet said, "Those hips don't lie but they also don't pay tax."

Another made a hilarious tweet with a video with a caption that read, "me breaking into Spanish prison to free Shakira."

There was also another meme based on her song Hips Don't Lie that read, "your hips don't lie but your taxes do." with a picture of Shakira.

The Colombian singer is charged with failing to pay tax in the amount of €14.5 million (£12 million) between 2012 and 2014.

In 2018, the celebrity was charged with tax evasion. She was allegedly residing in Spain between 2012 and 2014, despite having another address listed as her official one. As reported by BBC News, for tax reasons, everyone who stays in Spain for more than six months is considered a resident. Shakira claims that, at the time, she did not reside primarily in Spain.

In May 2012, Shakira bought a house in Barcelona as a family home for herself, her partner Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué, and their son born there in 2013. She lived there between 2012 and 2014, according to Reuters.

In a statement, Shakira's team said that the singer is "fully confident of her innocence" and considers the situation to be a "violation of her rights."

The 45-year-old singer, known as the Queen of Latin Pop, claims she paid the 17.2 million euros in taxes she was accused of owing by the Spanish tax office at the outset and that she currently owes the tax authorities no outstanding debt.