Shakira says ‘years of public shaming’ ended as Spanish court orders £48m payout in tax case

Highlights

• A Madrid court ruled Spanish tax authorities wrongly fined Shakira over her 2011 tax status
• The singer is set to receive more than £48 million, including interest and legal costs
• Shakira said the decision followed years of damage to her reputation and wellbeing

A Spanish court has ruled in Shakira’s favour in a long-running dispute over her tax status, ordering the country’s tax agency to repay more than £48 million after finding that fines imposed on the singer were based on an incorrect assessment.

The decision marks another chapter in a legal battle that has followed the Colombian singer for years and comes after repeated disputes over where she was considered a tax resident.

Court finds authorities failed to prove residency claim

The ruling from Madrid’s Audiencia Nacional centred on Shakira’s tax position in 2011, during the period when she was in a relationship with former Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué. Spanish authorities had argued that she spent enough time in the country that year to qualify as a tax resident and therefore owed personal income tax.

Under Spanish law, individuals are generally considered tax residents if they spend more than 183 days in the country in a year. However, the court found that tax officials had not proven this threshold had been met.

According to the ruling, Shakira spent 163 days in Spain in 2011, meaning authorities had not established sufficient grounds to claim that her principal economic interests were based there.

Repayment order applies only to the 2011 case

The court ordered Spain’s tax agency to return the fines already paid by Shakira, alongside interest and legal costs. However, it also noted that the decision relates only to the 2011 case and could still be challenged before Spain’s Supreme Court.

The ruling does not affect Shakira’s separate legal agreement reached in 2023, when she settled a case concerning unpaid taxes between 2012 and 2014. As part of that arrangement, she accepted the charges and agreed to penalties of more than £6.3 million, as well as an additional fine of approximately £383,000 to avoid a prison sentence.

Shakira says legal battle affected her health and family

Following the ruling, Shakira released a statement through her legal team saying the court had confirmed that no fraud had taken place in relation to 2011.

She said the decision came after years of public scrutiny and allegations that had affected both her health and family life. The singer described enduring a prolonged period of reputational damage and pressure before the court finally ruled in her favour.

The latest judgement may not close every legal chapter linked to her tax disputes, but it represents a significant victory in one of the singer’s longest-running battles.