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Colombian singer Shakira accepted a plea deal on Monday so she could avoid prison in the $16 million tax fraud case brought against her by Spanish prosecutors.
The 46-year-old was accused of defrauding approximately $16 million from the Spanish government between 2012 and 2014.
Charged in December of 2018 with with six counts, prosecutors were seeking Shakira a prison sentence of eight years and two months, plus a fine of $26 million.
Her trial, which began on Monday and was expected to last for weeks and see more than 100 witnesses take the stand, lasted just eight minutes.
As a result of her plea deal, Shakira will avoid prison, receive a suspended three-year sentence and pay a fine of $7.6 million. She will also have to pay a fine of $472,000 in exchange for having her prison sentence waived, the Associated Press reported.
Shakira reportedly has a net worth of $300 million.
Following the very brief court proceedings, the singer released a statement, vehemently going after the Spanish prosecutors.
“Throughout my career, I have always strived to do what’s right and set a positive example for others. That often means taking the extra step in business and personal financial decisions to procure the absolute best counsel, including seeking the advice of the world’s preeminent tax authorities PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited and Ernst and Young Global Limited who have been my advisors during this whole process.
“Unfortunately, and despite these efforts, tax authorities in Spain pursued a case against me as they have against many professional athletes and other high-profile individuals, draining those people’s energy, time, and tranquility for years at a time,” she wrote.
“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 also posted on Instagram the message, “A wolf like me always chooses family / A she wolf will always choose her family.”
She is far from out of the woods, legally, however.
In a separate case, Spanish prosecutors charged Shakira with failing to pay $7.1 million in taxes and using a offshore company to hide the money. Now that she has been found guilty of tax fraud, that case will gain even more steam.