Top stars in fresh tax storm
More rich stars named
POP queen Madonna is the latest superstar to be named in the off-shore tax scandal.
The Material Girl singer has been outed in the leaked Paradise Papers along with a string of other super-rich celebs.
MADONNA last night was the latest A-list star to be dragged into the off-shore tax-dodging scandal.
The superstar, actress Nicole Kidman, singers Justin Timberlake and Shakira – plus shamed producer Harvey Weinstein – were all named in the latest round of the Paradise Papers. Queen of pop Madge, 59, who has a £440million fortune and disgraced movie mogul Weinstein, 65, worth nearly £100m, both bought shares in Bermuda-based companies. Timberlake, 31, who has earned his £175m fortune from making fans go weak at the knees, and 50-year-old Oscar winner Kidman, who is worth £265m, have companies based in the Bahamas. Colombian songstress Shakira, 40, believed to be worth £230m, has moved £30m in musical rights to an offshore firm in Malta. American food guru Martha Stewart, 76, who spent time in jail for a stock trading fraud, also bought into the same company as Weinstein. They are all linked to the leaked documents that have dramatically outed a huge number of extremely wealthy public figures’ tax avoidance schemes.
There is no suggestion that any of the celebrities involved have done anything illegal. On the papers, Shakira is listed as a resident in tax haven Bahamas, despite living in Barcelona with the footballer Gerard Pique.
Madonna’s name is written as “Ciccone, Madonna” in small print alongside other investors.
A spokesman for Kidman and her husband, country singer Keith Urban, 50, said tax was irrelevant to the way they structured their affairs.
The other celebrities spotlighted had last night not commented on the accusations.
Tax affairs have once again been put into the spotlight just 18 months after the Panama Papers revelation.
The Queen, Prince Charles and U2 star Bono are all also named in the papers.
The Duke of Westminster’s estimated £9.35billion estate, which has been passed on down the generations, included holdings in Bermuda and Panama until 2007.
Tory member of the House of Lords James Sassoon has also come under scrutiny.