MADRID - Pop music star Shakira is under investigation in Spain for possible tax evasion during the three years before she officially moved to Barcelona, Spanish authorities said Wednesday.

Shakira switched residences in 2015 from the Bahamas to Barcelona, where she lives with her partner, Barca soccer player Gerard Pique, and the couple's two sons.

Spanish tax authorities suspect the Colombian singer already lived in the northeast city between 2012 and 2014, when she allegedly failed to pay income taxes in Spain.

Prosecutor Jose Miguel Company said the tax authorities referred the probe to the Barcelona prosecutor's office in December. He said a decision on whether to press charges or not is expected by mid-June.

Anna Forastier, a spokeswoman for auditing firm PwC, said the company has been hired by Shakira for the investigation. Forastier declined to disclose any details.

Shakira was named in the "Paradise Papers" leaks that detailed the offshore tax arrangements of numerous high-profile individuals, including musical celebrities like Madonna and U2's Bono. - AP