Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballe settles tax evasion case

Montserrat Caballe, one of the world's leading sopranos, has agreed to a fine of EU250,000 and a symbolic 6-month jail term to avoid trial in a tax evasion case, the Spanish news agency Europa Press said on Tuesday.

Caballe, 80, had been charged in April for failing to declare some EU500,000 of income in 2010. Because the jail sentence is under 2 years, she will not have to spend any time in prison.

A lyric soprano renowned for her performances of Italian opera, she also collaborated with the late rock idol Freddie Mercury on his hit album Barcelona - the city of her birth - and the late tenor Luciano Pavarotti.

Spain has been cracking down on tax evasion as it attempts to fill public coffers and rein in a large public deficit during a prolonged economic crisis. Caballe was not immediately available to comment.

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