‘There Was Never Any Fraud’: Shakira Wins Tax Battle in Spain After More Than Eight Years

Spain’s National Court has acquitted Shakira in a tax fraud case after eight years, ordering the government to return 60 million euros ($69 million) to the Colombian superstar. According to a judicial document obtained Monday (May 18) by Billboard Español, the court concluded that Shakira did not meet the minimum residency requirement to be taxed in Spain during 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 said in a statement. “There was never any fraud, and the Administration itself was never able to prove otherwise.”

The case revolved around whether Shakira was obligated to pay taxes in Spain on income generated during her world tour that year, during which she performed 120 concerts in 37 countries. Tax authorities had argued that the artist had spent enough time in Spanish territory to be considered a tax resident, a claim the court ultimately rejected.

The ruling also dismissed the notion that Spain was the main center of her economic activities and ordered the return of 60 million euros withheld, along with interest and legal costs. According to the verdict, Shakira did not meet the minimum stay required to be taxed in Spain during the investigated period.

In the same statement, the singer’s lawyer, José Luis Prada, described the ruling as the end of “an eight-year ordeal” and stated that Shakira “had the strength and resources to see it through to the end” in a process that, he said, “suffocates many anonymous taxpayers who lack the resources to defend themselves.”

The artist added that she hopes the ruling “sets a precedent” for other taxpayers facing similar disputes with Spain’s Tax Agency.

This is not the only case Shakira has faced with the Tax Agency. In November 2023, she reached an agreement with Spanish authorities over a separate case related to the years 2012 to 2014, when she lived in Barcelona with her then-partner, Gerard Piqué. Shakira acknowledged six charges for unpaid taxes, received a suspended three-year sentence, and paid a fine of $7.6 million.

The ruling comes as Shakira prepares to close the European leg of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour in Madrid, where she has already scheduled 12 dates for October at the temporary “Shakira Stadium,” built specifically for the tour’s final stretch. The news also coincides with one of the singer’s most prominent moments on the international stage, following her performance for 2.5 million people at the Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro and her upcoming halftime show at the FIFA World Cup 2026 final alongside BTS and Madonna.