Shakira in the dock in Spanish tax fraud case

BARCELONA – Colombian superstar Shakira goes on trial in Barcelona on Monday in a tax fraud case, with Spanish prosecutors seeking a jail term of over eight years for the Grammy-winning singer.

They accuse the 46-year-old of defrauding the Spanish state of 14.5 million euros ($15.7 million) on income earned between 2012 and 2014, charges denied by the singer who says she only moved to Spain full time in 2015.

The case centres on how much time the singer, whose hit singles include “Hips Don’t Lie”, “Whenever, Wherever” and the 2010 World Cup song “Waka Waka”, spent in Spain between 2012 and 2014.

Spanish authorities allege Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll — dubbed the Queen of Latin Pop — spent more than half of that period in Spain and therefore should have paid taxes in the country.

They say she moved to Spain after her relationship with former FC Barcelona star…