Shakira Cleared of Tax Fraud Charges in Spain

Shakira has been acquitted of tax fraud in Spain after the country’s High Court overturned a 55 million euro fine imposed in 2021. The ruling found that Spanish authorities failed to prove the singer spent more than 183 days in Spain during 2011, the threshold required to classify her as a tax resident under Spanish law. Her legal team said she will now receive more than 60 million euros, including interest, from the Spanish Treasury.

Spanish tax authorities had argued Shakira was effectively living in Spain due to her relationship with former Gerard Piqué and her professional activities in the country. However, the court ruled the penalties were unlawful because the claim that she was a Spanish tax resident in 2011 was not sufficiently proven. The decision can still be challenged before Spain’s Supreme Court and only applies to the 2011 fiscal year.

Shakira’s lawyer described the ruling as the end of an “eight-year ordeal” caused by flawed administrative practices. In a statement, the singer said she hoped the judgment would help ordinary people facing unfair treatment from authorities. The ruling is separate from another tax case in which Shakira reached a settlement with prosecutors in 2023 over unpaid taxes between 2012 and 2014, accepting charges and paying a fine exceeding 7.3 million euros to avoid trial.

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