Tuesday, May 19, 2026 - A Spanish court has ordered authorities to refund more than €55 million to Shakira after ruling that tax officials wrongly classified the pop star as a Spanish tax resident in 2011.
According to a ruling issued by Spain’s National Audience
and seen by AFP on Monday, May 18, tax authorities failed to prove that the
singer spent more than 183 days in Spain during the year in question, the legal
threshold required for personal income tax residency.
The court stated that Shakira spent only 163 days in Spain
in 2011 and concluded that authorities had not demonstrated that the country
was the centre of her economic interests at the time. The decision requires
Spain’s tax agency to return all amounts paid by the singer, along with legal
interest, effectively overturning millions of euros in penalties and tax
adjustments.
The total repayment reportedly includes around €24 million
in income tax payments, nearly €25 million in fines linked to what authorities
had described as a “very serious” offence, as well as accumulated interest.
Reacting to the judgment, Shakira said the court had
“finally set the record straight” after years of scrutiny and legal battles.
The singer accused authorities of subjecting her to “brutal public exposure,
orchestrated campaigns to destroy my reputation, and sleepless nights that
ultimately affected my health and my family’s wellbeing.”
“Every step of the process was leaked, distorted, and
amplified, using my name and public image to send a threatening message to
other taxpayers. Today, that narrative falls apart,” she added in a statement
sent to AFP. The ruling comes as the 49-year-old singer prepares to conclude
her “Women Don’t Cry Anymore” world tour with a concert residency in Madrid
beginning in September.
Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll,
previously lived in Barcelona with former Gerard Piqué for more than a decade
before the couple separated in 2022. The singer later relocated to Miami with
their two sons.
Spanish authorities had previously accused Shakira of
defrauding the tax office of €14.5 million between 2012 and 2014 by allegedly
failing to declare income earned while living in Spain. In 2023, she reached a
separate settlement with prosecutors to avoid trial, accepting the charges and
agreeing to pay a fine of nearly €7.8 million.
During investigations, Spain’s tax agency reportedly
examined her social media posts and interviewed witnesses including neighbours
and her hairdresser in an attempt to prove she spent enough time in the country
to qualify as a tax resident.
Shakira later described the investigation as an “Inquisition
trial,” accusing authorities of being more interested in “burning her in
public” than considering her defence.
Spain has pursued several high-profile tax cases against
celebrities and footballers in recent years, including Lionel Messi and
Cristiano Ronaldo, both of whom were convicted of tax evasion and received
suspended prison sentences as first-time offenders.
0 Comments