A Spanish court has ordered the tax authority to repay Shakira more than €55 million (£48 million), ruling that fines imposed on the singer were based on incorrect assessments of her tax status in 2011.
The Audiencia Nacional in Madrid accepted Shakira's appeal against the penalty, which was levied five years ago by the Agencia Tributaria. The court found that the tax agency failed to prove the singer spent more than 183 days in Spain that year, a threshold that would have required her to pay personal income tax in the country.
According to the court, Shakira's stay in Spain in 2011 was 163 days, and the tax agency did not demonstrate that she had core economic interests in Spain as defined by law. The ruling orders the return of the fines plus interest and costs, though it can be appealed to the Supreme Court and applies only to the 2011 case.
In November 2023, Shakira reached a separate settlement with prosecutors over unpaid taxes between 2012 and 2014, agreeing to pay €14.5 million in back taxes and a fine of 50% of that amount, plus an additional €438,000 to avoid a prison sentence. She had previously accused the tax agency of a 'salacious press campaign' against her.
Following Monday's decision, Shakira said the court had recognised that no fraud occurred in 2011. She described enduring 'years of brutal public shaming' and 'orchestrated campaigns to destroy my reputation' that affected her health and family.
