Shakira’s Tax Fight in Spain Ends: No Fraud Found After Eight Years
Shakira Acquitted in Tax Fraud Case, €60 Million to Be Returned
Spain’s National Court has acquitted singer Shakira in a tax fraud case that has lasted eight years, mandating that the government return €60 million (approximately $69 million) to the Colombian artist. A judicial document obtained on May 18 highlights the court’s finding that Shakira did not meet the minimum residency requirement for taxation in Spain during the year in question, 2011.
“After more than eight years enduring brutal public accusations and sleepless nights that took a toll on my health and my family’s well-being, the National Court has finally set the record straight,” Shakira stated. “There was never any fraud, and the Administration itself was never able to prove otherwise.”
Central to the case was whether Shakira was required to pay taxes in Spain on income earned during her 2011 world tour, where she performed 120 concerts across 37 countries. Tax authorities argued she had spent sufficient time in Spain to be classified as a tax resident, a claim that the court ultimately rejected.
The ruling not only dismissed the assertion that Spain was Shakira’s primary economic base but also ordered the return of the previously withheld €60 million, along with accrued interest and legal costs. The verdict confirmed that Shakira did not meet the requisite duration of stay for taxation in Spain during the specified period.
José Luis Prada, Shakira’s lawyer, characterized the ruling as the end of “an eight-year ordeal.” He remarked that Shakira “had the strength and resources to see it through to the end” of a process that, he noted, can be overwhelming for many taxpayers without similar resources.
In her statement, Shakira expressed hope that the ruling “sets a precedent” for others facing comparable disputes with Spain’s Tax Agency.
This acquittal is not Shakira’s only encounter with the tax authorities. In November 2023, she reached a settlement regarding a separate case from 2012 to 2014, during which she lived in Barcelona with then-partner Gerard Piqué. She acknowledged six counts of unpaid taxes, receiving a suspended three-year sentence and paying a fine of $7.6 million.
The recent ruling arrives as Shakira gears up for the European leg of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, with 12 dates scheduled for October at the newly constructed “Shakira Stadium” in Madrid. This development coincides with a pivotal moment in her international career, following her performance for 2.5 million people at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro and her upcoming halftime show at the FIFA World Cup 2026 final alongside BTS and Madonna.
