Shakira has chosen to settle her $15 million tax fraud case, citing her decision as one made for the well-being of her two sons.

“I did it to protect my children and to move forward with my life, not out of cowardice or guilt,” the 47-year-old singer expressed in an essay published in the Spanish newspaper El Mundo on Thursday, September 5.

The Colombian superstar had been accused of defrauding the Spanish government of more than $15 million in taxes from 2012 to 2014.

Prosecutors alleged that Shakira had falsely claimed residency in the Bahamas while actually living in Catalonia, Spain, where her then-partner Gerard Piqué played professional soccer.

Throughout the legal ordeal, Shakira, who shares sons Milan, 11, and Sasha, 9, with Piqué, 37, consistently denied the allegations.

(In July 2023, it was revealed that prosecutors were pushing for a trial, but Shakira chose to settle before the case reached court.) In her essay, Shakira clarified her living situation during the period in question.

“In 2011, I wanted my relationship with Gerard Piqué to succeed, and he was bound to Spain for work reasons,” she wrote.

“Traveling to Spain created numerous complications because it forced me to be away from my professional hubs. I returned to Spain to make the relationship work, not out of a desire to permanently stay.”

Shakira emphasized that the accusations from the Spanish Tax Agency were unreasonable, describing their claims as “childish” and insisting she had never deliberately evaded her tax responsibilities.

“The truth was entirely different: I always met my obligations. My finances were scrutinized by credible institutions like the White House and the IRS, and also approved by other European Union countries,” she explained.

“Throughout this time, no illegal activity was found, yet a director of the Spanish Tax Agency publicly accused me on television before a trial had even occurred.

How can we trust that such an institution respects the presumption of innocence when they publicly condemn someone before a verdict?”

Shakira also addressed the public misconception about her taxes, insisting that she had paid more than what was required.

“They tried to make the public believe I had not paid my taxes when, in reality, I paid much more than necessary,” she said. “When I was truly obligated, I declared myself a Spanish tax resident.

If you tally the voluntary payments I made and the unjust fines imposed, the Spanish State ended up collecting more than my total income for those years.”

Shakira and Piqué ended their 10-year relationship in June 2022, after which Shakira relocated to the U.S. with their children. Meanwhile, Piqué remains in Spain, having retired from professional soccer.