Pop star Shakira has been warned she could be jailed for up to eight years if she is found guilty of an alleged £12million tax fraud.

Spanish prosecutors are also demanding a £19million fine for the 45-year-old singer, who is charged with six counts of defrauding the state between 2012 and 2014.

It comes after the Colombian-born mother-of-two rejected an out-of-court settlement that would have involved her admitting wrongdoing.

She has already repaid the money she allegedly owes the treasury, along with interest believed to total £3million.

The charges were contained in an indictment submitted by prosecutors to the investigating court near Barcelona, and made public for the first time today. 

Shakira - full name Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll - is accused of pretending to live abroad and using a complex offshore corporate structure to avoid tax.