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Famous opera singer given six month jail sentence for tax evasion

Xinhua, December 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

Spanish Opera singer Montserrat Caballe was given a six-month prison sentence on Tuesday for tax avoidance.

The 82-year-old is Spain's most famous opera singer and known around the world for her duet with former "Queen" singer, Freddy Mercury, on the song "Barcelona" which was the theme for the 1992 Olympic Games in the city.

She had pleaded guilty to evading around 700,000 euros (around 780,000 U.S. dollars) in taxes after being accused of not declaring her earnings in 2010, giving the small Pyrenean country of Andorra as her residence, something the prosecution considered she had done "for the sole aim of not paying her taxes."

Sentences of under two years in Spain for first time offenders mean they never actually have to serve jail term, but Cabelle was also ordered to pay a fine of 254,231 euros and banned from receiving any public subsidies for a period of 18 months, as well as having to pay back the tax she had tried to defraud.

Caballe made her court appearance on Tuesday via a video link from her home, explaining she was unable to attend court for health reasons. Endit