Pop star Shakira has struck a last-minute deal on the opening day of her tax fraud trial in Barcelona, avoiding the risk of going to prison, AP News reports.
Shakira accepted an agreement with prosecutors, acknowledging six counts of failing to pay the Spanish government €14.5 million ($15.8 million) in taxes between 2012 and 2014.
Under the deal, she will receive a suspended three-year sentence and pay a fine of €7.3 million ($8 million) in addition to the unpaid taxes and interest. She will also pay another fine of €432,000 ($472,000) in exchange for having her prison sentence waived.
The fraud allegations were related to Shakira’s residence during 2012-14, with prosecutors alleging she spent more than half of that period in Spain.
