Shakira has been cleared in a tax fraud case in Spain after a Madrid court ruled that prosecutors failed to prove she was a Spanish tax resident in 2011.
The decision, seen by The Associated Press on Monday, also ordered Spanish authorities to return more than 55 million euros in penalties previously imposed on the singer.
According to the ruling, tax authorities were unable to establish that the Colombian pop star spent the minimum 183 days required in Spain during the year under investigation. The court found evidence that she had been in the country for only 163 days in 2011.
As a result, the court ordered Spain’s Treasury to reimburse the taxes paid by the singer along with interest. Shakira’s legal team said the total repayment would amount to around 60 million euros.
“There was never any fraud, and the Tax Agency itself was never able to prove otherwise, simply because it wasn’t true,” the singer said in a statement released through her lawyers.
The ruling marks the latest development in a lengthy legal dispute between the artist and Spanish tax authorities, which has stretched over several years.
Her lawyer, José Luís Prada, criticised the handling of the case and described the legal process as damaging.
“This resolution comes after an eight-year ordeal that has taken an unacceptable toll, reflecting a lack of rigor in administrative practices,” he said.
The case centred on whether Shakira qualified as a tax resident in Spain during the 2011 fiscal year.
Under Spanish law, individuals are considered tax residents if they spend more than 183 days in the country within a calendar year.
