Shakira has broken her silence after winning her tax battle in Spain, insisting “there was never any fraud”.
The Spanish National Court acquitted the Hips Don’t Lie singer of tax fraud relating to the 2011 fiscal year on Monday and ordered the tax authority to refund 60 million euros ($70 million/£52 million) to her.
Speaking out about the ruling, Shakira celebrated being able to “finally set the record straight” after an eight-year legal battle.
“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,” she said in a statement. “There was never any fraud, and the Administration itself was never able to 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… Today, that narrative crumbles, and it does so with the full force of a court ruling.”
The Colombian pop star expressed hope that her case would help “thousands of ordinary citizens” who go up against a system that “presumes them guilty” and allegedly makes them prove their innocence at “the cost of economic and emotional ruin”.
In the ruling, the court concluded that the country’s Treasury had failed to prove that Shakira had spent 183 days in Spain in 2011 – the minimum required to be classed as a resident for tax purposes – and that the fines imposed on her in 2021 were unlawful because they were based on an assumption that had not been proven.
Representatives for the tax agency said they would appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court and that Shakira would not be reimbursed until after the final verdict. The 60 million euro repayment includes income tax, fines and interest.
Shakira has been involved in several cases with Spain’s tax authority. In November 2023, she settled with prosecutors and agreed to pay a fine of over 7 million euros ($8 million/£6 million) in relation to the 2012 to 2014 tax years.
The global superstar spent a lot of time in Spain during her relationship with Spanish footballer Gerard Piqué between 2010 and 2022. They share sons Milan, 13, and Sasha, 11.
