Colombian singer-songwriter and dancer, Shakira, has broken her silence after winning €60million (N96 billion) tax battle against Spain.…....
A Spanish court has ordered the country’s tax authority to refund more than €60 million (over $70 million) to Colombian singer Shakira after ruling that the money was wrongly collected in a long-running tax dispute.
Spain’s National High Court acquitted the global music star of tax fraud allegations and directed the Treasury to repay the amount alongside accrued interest.
According to the court, tax authorities failed to prove that Shakira spent at least 183 days in Spain in 2011 — the minimum requirement for an individual to be classified as a tax resident and liable to pay personal income tax in the country.
Reacting to the ruling, Shakira said the court had “finally set the record straight” after what she described as eight years of “brutal public targeting, orchestrated campaigns to destroy my reputation, and sleepless nights that ultimately impacted my health and my family’s well-being.”
The repayment reportedly includes about €24 million in income tax and nearly €25 million in fines that Spanish authorities had previously imposed for what they called a “very serious” tax infringement.
However, Spain’s tax agency has said it plans to appeal the decision before the Supreme Court, adding that no payment will be made until a final ruling is delivered.
The 49-year-old singer was in a long-term relationship with former Gerard Piqué and FC Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué after the pair reportedly met in 2010 during the filming of the official 2010 FIFA World Cup song, Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).
The court stated that Shakira spent only 163 days in Spain during the 2011 fiscal year — 20 days below the legal threshold required for tax residency.
The case specifically concerned the 2011 tax year and did not cover subsequent years.
The dispute was one of several tax-related cases brought against the singer in Spain.
In 2023, Shakira reached a settlement with Spanish prosecutors in a separate tax fraud case covering the years 2012 to 2014, shortly before the trial was set to begin.
As part of the agreement, the singer accepted six charges and paid a €7.5 million fine, despite maintaining her innocence.
At the time, prosecutors had sought an eight-year prison sentence and an additional €23.8 million fine if she had been convicted.
Shakira later explained that she chose to settle the matter “with the best interest of my kids at heart.”
In 2024, another Spanish court reportedly dropped a separate investigation into her 2018 tax payments due to what officials described as a lack of evidence.
Following the development, Shakira used Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money” on her Instagram, as the Spanish government has to pay her €60 million.
See the post below;
