Shakira Slams Spanish Authorities for "Publicly Burning Me at the Stake" in Tax Fraud Case

Shakira opens up about her legal battle, accusing Spanish authorities of "publicly burning me at the stake" in a tax fraud case. She claims she only settled the multimillion-dollar dispute to protect her children.

"Hips Don't Lie" singer Shakira has spoken out about her legal battle with Spanish authorities over tax fraud, accusing them of "publicly burning me at the stake" rather than listening to her reasons.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Shakira expressed her frustration with the authorities' handling of her case.

Shakira Slams Spanish Authorities for "Publicly Burning Me at the Stake" in Tax Fraud Case

"The most frustrating thing was seeing that a state institution seemed more interested in publicly burning me at the stake than in listening to my reasons," she said.

Shakira explained that she settled the multimillion-dollar tax evasion case to protect her two young sons, Milan, 11, and Sasha, 9.

Shakira Slams Spanish Authorities for "Publicly Burning Me at the Stake" in Tax Fraud Case

"I want to leave my children the legacy of a woman who explained her reasons calmly and in her own time, when she considered it necessary, not when she was forced to," she remarked.

The Colombian music star claimed that she only decided to live in Spain in 2015 and was immediately hit with tax charges for the past 10 years.

Shakira Slams Spanish Authorities for "Publicly Burning Me at the Stake" in Tax Fraud Case

"What seemed like a polite way of formalizing my situation turned out to be a trap," she stated.

Shakira also accused Spanish tax authorities of "intimidating people, threatening them with jail, putting our children's peace of mind at risk and putting us under pressure to break us."

Shakira Slams Spanish Authorities for "Publicly Burning Me at the Stake" in Tax Fraud Case

"There may be those who wonder why I am bothering to make these statements now," she said. "The first reason is my children. We have lived in an era marked by a tone of arrogance from the State, but bullying is not the same as giving reasons. Things are not solved by burning one public figure at the stake every year as if it were an Inquisition trial in order to recover lost prestige."

Shakira was accused of owing 6.7 million euros ($7.2 million) in taxes on her 2018 income. The Spanish government claimed she had used an offshore company to evade paying the money, but the charges were dropped in May.

In November, Shakira settled a separate tax evasion issue with the Spanish government. Prosecutors said the Colombian singer lived in Barcelona for more than half of the time between 2012 and 2014 and racked up a tax bill of $15.4 million.

Shakira claimed that her official residence was in the Bahamas during that time, meaning she did not owe the Spanish government those taxes.

On the first day of the trial, Shakira chose to take a deal despite her decision to turn down a previous offer.

She was given a fine of 7 million euros ($7.6 million) in addition to a suspended three-year sentence. The musician was also fined an additional 432,000 euros ($472,000).

Had she been found guilty, she could have spent eight years in jail and received a fine of over $26 million.

"While I was determined to defend my innocence in a trial that my lawyers were confident would have ruled in my favor, I have made the decision to finally resolve this matter with the best interest of my kids at heart who do not want to see their mom sacrifice her personal well-being in this fight," Shakira's legal team told Fox News Digital at the time.