Shakira Just Paid MILLIONS More To Spanish Government In SECOND Tax Probe!

Shakira still has some major tax troubles to deal with in Spain!

Of course, the Colombian-born singer just settled a massive tax evasion case in the Mediterranean nation last Monday. But that one only covered tax issues from 2012, 2013, and 2014 — and Spanish authorities had previously filed ANOTHER case against Gerard Piqué‘s ex regarding a 2018 payment problem, too. And now Shakira has paid up on that one, too!

According to Spanish newspaper El Periodico, on Friday, Shakira deposited 6.6 million Euros — the equivalent of about $7.2 million USD — into government coffers. And that amount is apparently not part of the multi-million settlement payment she made more than a week ago. Per TMZ, that seems to be a second payment made in addition to the one she agreed to dole out last week in the initial case.

As we reported, last Monday, Shakira officially settled up with Spain over their 2012-14 tax attack by agreeing to a $7.5 million fine. She had been facing a $26 million penalty and possible jail time in that case, so the day-of-trial settlement was definitely better than what might have been.

But this new $7.2 million is in response to the 2018 prosecution. That legal battle has been in the works for a while, too, though not as long as the just-settled 2012-14 case. As TMZ notes, it’s unclear whether this new payment is a fine deposit, an official settlement agreement, or a down payment on possible future penalties. The 2018 investigation is still winding its way through the legal system, and Shakira hasn’t been ordered to stand trial on it yet, so things are still up in the air.

Per the original Spanish-language report in El Periodico, anonymous sources claim this new payment is a bid from Shakira to receive future leniency in the 2018 case. If that’s true, it would make some sense. You’ll recall that last Monday following her 2012-14 settlement, Shakira released a public statement in which she lamented the “stress and emotional toll” of Spain’s tax prosecution against her and spoke highly of “getting [her] time back” for both her children and her career:

“I need to move past the stress and emotional toll of the last several years and focus on the things I love — my kids and all the opportunities to come in my career, including my upcoming world tour and my new album, both of which I am extremely excited about. I admire tremendously those who have fought these injustices to the end, but for me, today, winning is getting my time back for my kids and my career.”

So, with a decade’s worth of tax accusations by government officials on her back, maybe it’s no wonder the Hips Don’t Lie crooner is acting so preemptively on the 2018 allegations. This second case doesn’t appear to have been dismissed or anything — at least not yet — so this may not be the last we hear on this. Regardless, that’s a LOT of zeroes, y’all. Thoughts??

[Image via MEGA/WENN]