The Spanish Supreme Court has ordered the tax authority to refund more than 55 million euros, or over 2 billion baht, to Shakira, the famous Colombian artist, after ruling that it could not prove she met the tax residency criteria in Spain. The court also dismissed the tax fraud case that had dragged on for more than eight years.
The Spanish Supreme Court ruled to dismiss the case against Shakira, the 49-year-old Colombian superstar, for tax fraud. The court ordered Spain’s Ministry of Finance to refund her 55 million euros (approximately 2 billion baht) plus interest, after finding that the tax authorities could not prove she lived in Spain for more than 183 days in 2011—the minimum period for personal income tax residency.
The refunded amount includes about 24 million euros in income tax and nearly 25 million euros in fines, which Spanish authorities had previously deemed a serious offense. However, Spain’s tax authority has announced it will appeal to the Supreme Court and no money will be refunded until a final verdict is reached.
After the verdict, Shakira revealed that the court had restored justice and finally uncovered the truth after she endured severe public attacks, deliberate attempts to damage her reputation, and sleepless nights over eight years, which severely affected her and her family’s health and well-being.
The Supreme Court stated that all previous fines were unlawful because they were based on "assumptions" that Spain was her tax residence in 2011 without concrete evidence. Investigation showed that the singer of the hit song "Hips Don't Lie" lived in Spain only 163 days that year—20 days short of the tax residency threshold. This case only concerned the 2011 tax year, with no involvement in other years.
Shakira was in a relationship with Gerard Piqué, former Spanish national team footballer and FC Barcelona player, for over a decade after meeting in 2010 during the filming of the music video for "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)," the official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
This case is one of several filed by Spain’s tax authority against her. Previously, in 2023, Shakira settled with Spanish prosecutors over tax fraud allegations for 2012-2014 before trial. She accepted six charges and paid a 7.5 million euro fine to close the case, despite denying wrongdoing. At that time, prosecutors threatened up to eight years in prison and a 23.8 million euro fine if convicted. Shakira said she settled to protect her children’s best interests. In 2024, the Spanish court also dismissed an investigation into her 2018 tax case due to lack of evidence.
This ruling comes as Shakira prepares to conclude her "Women Don't Cry Anymore" world tour, which will continue with shows in Madrid starting this September. Additionally, it was announced last week that she will perform alongside Madonna and BTS during the halftime show of the men’s FIFA World Cup final this summer. Recently, she drew a crowd of two million people at a free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, earlier this month.
. BBC