Shakira Wins Major Tax Case in Spain, Set to Receive €55 Million Refund
Pop superstar Shakira has secured a major legal victory in Spain after a court ordered authorities to refund more than €55 million over a disputed tax residency case.
According to a ruling issued by Spain’s National Audience and obtained by AFP on Monday, the court found that Spanish tax authorities failed to prove that the singer qualified as a tax resident in 2011.
Under Spanish law, individuals are considered tax residents if they spend more than 183 days in the country within a calendar year. However, the court ruled that Shakira spent only 163 days in Spain during the period under review and that authorities could not establish Spain as the centre of her economic interests at the time.
The judgment directs Spain’s tax agency to refund all payments made by the singer, including legal interest. The repayment reportedly covers about €24 million in income tax payments, nearly €25 million in penalties tied to what officials had classified as a “very serious” offence, as well as accumulated interest.
Reacting to the verdict, Shakira said the court had “finally set the record straight” after years of legal scrutiny.
The singer accused authorities of subjecting her to “brutal public exposure” and damaging campaigns aimed at destroying her reputation.
“Every step of the process was leaked, distorted, and amplified, using my name and public image to send a threatening message to other taxpayers. Today, that narrative falls apart,” she said in a statement to AFP.
The ruling comes as the 49-year-old entertainer prepares to conclude her “Women Don’t Cry Anymore” world tour with a concert residency in Madrid scheduled to begin in September.
Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, previously lived in Barcelona with former football star Gerard Piqué before the couple separated in 2022. She later relocated to Miami with their two sons.
Spanish prosecutors had earlier accused the singer of failing to pay €14.5 million in taxes between 2012 and 2014. In 2023, she agreed to a separate settlement with prosecutors, accepted the charges, and paid a fine of nearly €7.8 million to avoid trial.
Reports said investigators examined her social media activity and interviewed witnesses, including neighbours and her hairdresser, in an effort to prove she spent enough time in Spain to qualify as a tax resident.
Shakira had previously described the investigation as an “Inquisition trial,” accusing authorities of seeking to “burn her in public” rather than fairly consider her defence.
Spain has pursued several high-profile tax evasion cases involving celebrities and footballers in recent years, including Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, both of whom received suspended prison sentences after tax-related convictions.
