MADRID — A Spanish court has acquitted Colombian pop star Shakira in a tax fraud dispute tied to the 2011 tax year and ordered the government to reimburse more than 55 million euros in wrongly imposed fines, according to a court document seen by The Associated Press.
The Madrid-based court found that Spanish authorities failed to prove Shakira was a tax resident in Spain in 2011. Under Spanish rules, someone is generally considered a tax resident if they spend more than 183 days in the country. The court said officials could only verify 163 days for Shakira that year.
Spain’s tax agency had argued that Shakira’s relationship with then-soccer player Gerard Piqué and her economic ties to the country established residency and the basis for taxing her income. The High Court rejected that reasoning, saying the partnership could not be legally equated to a marriage and that prosecutors had not shown her main economic activities or interests were based in Spain that year.
Shakira, who appealed the original assessment, said in a statement provided by her lawyers that “there was never any fraud, and the Tax Agency itself was never able to prove otherwise, simply because it wasn’t true.” Her attorney, José Luís Prada, called the ruling vindication after what he described as an “eight-year ordeal” and criticized administrative practices in the case.
Shakira’s legal team said Spain’s Treasury will reimburse about 60 million euros, including interest. The court document cited the repayment of more than 55 million euros in erroneously applied fines.
This ruling follows earlier tax-related legal matters for the singer. In 2023, Shakira reached a deal with Spanish prosecutors over separate allegations that she failed to pay income tax for 2012–2014. In that case she accepted the charges, paid the unpaid taxes plus interest, and paid an additional 7.3 million euros to resolve the matter.
Shakira was also named in the 2017 Paradise Papers leaks, which revealed offshore arrangements used by various high-profile figures. The Spanish authorities’ actions reflect a broader, years-long crackdown on high-earning public figures: in recent years Spain has pursued cases against prominent soccer players such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for tax offenses. Those athletes were found guilty but avoided prison under a provision that can waive sentences under two years for first-time offenders.
The Madrid decision closes the 2011 dispute in favor of the singer, while separate matters from later years have been resolved through negotiation.
