Shakira has been acquitted in a Spanish tax case, with Spain’s High Court overturning a 55 million euro, or about $64 million, fine imposed by the Spanish tax agency in 2021.
A representative for Shakira told People that the government must return more than 60 million euros, or about $70 million, to the singer. According to the representative, authorities were unable to prove Shakira spent 183 days in Spain in 2011, the minimum required for residents to pay personal income tax there. The ruling did not apply to tax years after 2011.
The Spanish tax agency had argued Shakira had ties to Spain because of her past relationship with Gerard Pique, the father of her two sons, Milan and Sasha.
“After more than eight years of enduring brutal public targeting, orchestrated campaigns to destroy my reputation, and sleepless nights that ultimately impacted my health and my family’s well-being, the National High Court has finally set the record straight,” Shakira said in a statement.
“There was never any fraud, and the Administration itself could never prove otherwise, simply because it wasn’t true,” she continued. “Yet, for nearly a decade, I was treated as guilty. Every step of the process was leaked, distorted, and amplified, using my name and public image to send a threatening message to the rest of the taxpayers.”
In November 2023, Shakira agreed to pay a $7.5 million fine and avoided a prison sentence after prosecutors accused her of failing to pay 14.5 million euros, or about $15.8 million, in income taxes between 2012 and 2014. She maintained her innocence and said she settled that case for the sake of her children.