Shakira slams Spanish government after winning $64M tax case: 'There was never any fraud'
MADRID, SPAIN: A Spanish court on Monday, May 18, cleared singer-songwriter Shakira in a years-long tax fraud case after authorities failed to prove she was a resident of Spain during the 2011 tax year, while also ordering the government to return more than $64 million in fines and tax payments along with interest.
The tax agency said it would appeal the decision before the Supreme Court and that no payment would be issued until a final ruling is reached. The 49-year-old Colombian star lived with former Spanish soccer player Gerard Pique for more than a decade after reportedly meeting in 2010 while filming the music video for the World Cup in South Africa.
Shakira speaks out against being 'treated as guilty'
The court determined that Spanish authorities could only prove Shakira spent 163 days in Spain in 2011, falling short of the 183-day requirement needed to classify someone as a taxable resident. The ruling also stated that there was insufficient evidence showing that her main economic interests were based in Spain during that period.
Following the decision, Shakira released a strongly worded statement criticizing the treatment received during the case. "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," she said.
"There was never any fraud, and the Administration itself could never prove otherwise, simply because it wasn’t true," the 'Hips Don't Lie' star added.
Shakira emphasized, "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."
She concluded, "Today, that narrative crumbles, and it does so with the full force of a court ruling. My greatest wish is that this ruling sets a precedent for the Treasury and serves the thousands of ordinary citizens who are abused and crushed every day by a system that presumes their guilt and forces them to prove their innocence at the cost of economic and emotional ruin. This victory is dedicated to them."
Spanish tax authorities had argued that she had established her primary economic activities in the country during her relationship with Pique. But the High Court ruled that the relationship could not be legally equated to a marital one, nor was it proven that "the main center or base" of her activities or economic interests in 2011 was directly or indirectly located in Spain.
Shakira’s previous tax disputes with Spanish authorities
The latest ruling marks another chapter in Shakira’s long-running legal disputes with Spanish tax authorities. In 2023, the singer settled a separate tax fraud case after acknowledging on the first day of trial that she had failed to pay nearly $15.8 million in taxes between 2012 and 2014.
She was also ordered to pay an additional $8 million fine along with the unpaid taxes and interest. Spanish authorities later accused the Colombian superstar of failing to pay around $7.2 million in taxes on her 2018 income, alleging that she had used an offshore company to avoid payment.
However, those charges were dropped in May 2024. Shakira’s lawyer, Jose Luis Prada, welcomed the latest court ruling, stating that it “comes after an eight-year ordeal that has taken an unacceptable toll, reflecting a lack of rigour in administrative practice”.
In November 2023, Shakira also reached a separate agreement with prosecutors to avoid a trial in Barcelona over allegations that she failed to pay $16.8 million in Spanish income tax between 2012 and 2014. As part of the deal, she accepted the charges and agreed to pay a fine amounting to more than $8.5 million, roughly half of the amount owed.
