Spain acquits Shakira of tax fraud

Spanish tax authorities have been ordered to refund the Colombian singer $55 million euros. However, the singer did plead guilty in a separate case.

The National Audience court in Madrid has ordered Spain's main tax authority to return €55 million ($64 million) to pop star Shakira, saying the amount was improperly attained during a dispute over her 2011 taxes.

Court documents reveal that the decision was reached in mid-April, but first became known to the media on Monday. 

What Shakira said about the tax fraud case

The judgement followed an appeal by the Colombian singer, who has long argued that she was not a full resident of Spain at the time. Her lawyers have pointed to the fact that she and her ex-husband, footballer Gerard Pique, first bought a house in Spain in 2012, as well as the fact that her frequent touring made it impossible for her to have resided in Spain the required 183 days that year.

The court agreed, and ordered Shakira be reimbursed the tens of millions of euros that were collected in 2021.

"This decision comes after an eight-year ordeal that has taken an unacceptable toll, reflecting a lack of ⁠rigor ​in administrative practice," lawyer Jose Luis Prada wrote in a statement.

The same statement quoted Shakira as saying that she hope the ruling would set a precedent and help "thousands of ordinary citizens who ‌are abused and crushed every day by a system that presumes them guilty and forces them to prove their innocence while facing financial ​and emotional ruin."

Singer accepts guilt in separate case

In 2023, the singer reached a settlement with prosecutors in a separate tax evasion case related to the years between 2012 and 2014. She accepted charges in order to avoid a trial and agreed to pay €7.3 million. Shakira has claimed she accepted guilt in order to spare her family futher legal proceedings.

Her ex-husband and former FC Barcelona star Pique has also be embroiled in major tax fraud cases in Spain, but was ultimately cleared of wrongdoing in a Supreme Court case in 2021.

Edited by: Rob Turner