Shakira reacts after pleading guilty to fraud and avoiding prison: ‘It was better for my kids’

After reiterating his innocence for nearly five years, Shakira struck a deal at the last minute to avoid the risk of going to jail this Monday November 20, the first day of his tax evasion trial in Barcelona.

The singer accepted the payment of a millionaire’s fine of 7.3 million euros ($7.9 million) in exchange for a reduced sentence that will prevent him from going to prison.

To achieve this he admitted before the Spanish courts that he defrauded 14.5 million euros ($15.8 million) to that country’s treasury between 2012 and 2014.

The court sentenced her to three years in prison, but she will be able to avoid prison by paying a total of 432 thousand euros. ($472 thousand).

This is what Shakira said after avoiding prison

In a statement released by her PR agency, Shakira said that while she wanted to continue fighting, she decided to prioritize her family, career and peace of mind.

“I made the decision to finally solve this issue thinking what It was better for my kids“said the mother of Milan (10) and Sasha (8), who she had with Gerard Pique.

” They don’t want to see their mother sacrifice her well-being personal in this fight,” he argued.

” I need to leave the stress behind and the emotional exhaustion of the last few years and focus on what I love: my children and all the opportunities that will arise in my career,” he warned.

“I greatly admire those who fought these injustices to the end, but For me, today, victory is recovery time for my children and my career,” he confessed elsewhere in the statement, cited by the Daily Mail.

“Throughout my career, I always did I tried hard to do the right thing and set a positive example for others,” he said.

“This often means going the extra mile in personal and business financial decisions to get the best advice, including seeking advice from the world’s leading tax authorities, PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited and Ernst & Young Global Limited, who have been advisers me,” he revealed.

In her official statement to the media she also criticized the Spanish authorities for prosecuting her.

“Unfortunately, despite these efforts, the The tax authorities in Spain opened a case against me as they have done against many professional athletes and other high-profile people, draining people’s energy, time and peace of mind for years,” he charged.

The case revolved around where Shakira, 46, lived between 2012 and 2014. Prosecutors in Barcelona claimed the artist spent more than half the time in Spain and therefore should have paid taxes on worldwide income of in Spain. residence remained the Bahamas.

Shakira accepts the crime: “A difficult decision”

Miriam Company, Shakira’s lawyer, spoke to the press after she left the hearing in Barcelona and explained why the singer ended up admitting to the crime.

“It’s about a difficult decision and a very mature decision” he said, citing media outlets such as Europa Press.

“The legal team We were sure that we had the test well prepared. and we were convinced that we could prove her innocence, but circumstances changed and Mrs. Mebarak chose to accept this deal,” he revealed.