Spain’s National High Court on Monday acquitted Colombian superstar Shakira of tax fraud relating to the 2011 fiscal year, ordering the Spanish Treasury to reimburse the singer more than €60 million, roughly $70 million, including interest and legal costs.
Spain’s High Court ruled on May 18, 2026, that Shakira was not a tax resident in Spain in 2011, acquitting her of fraud and ordering the Treasury to refund over €60 million in improperly imposed taxes, penalties, and interest.
The court went a step further, ordering Spain’s tax administration to bear the costs of the proceedings, a rare rebuke that signals the judiciary’s view that the case was pursued without sufficient justification.
The crux of the ruling came down to a matter of days, literally. Under Spanish law, a person must spend more than 183 days in the country in a given year to be classified as a tax resident.
Spanish authorities were only able to prove that Shakira lived in Spain in 2011 for a total of 163 days, 20 days short of the legal threshold.
The court found that at most, authorities had accounted for 163 days, including both certified and presumed periods of stay, while the singer herself acknowledged spending 143 days in the country.
For years, Spain’s tax agency had argued for a different theory of residency. The agency contended that Shakira’s relationship with now-retired FC Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué, along with her professional ties to Spain, meant that she based her main economic activities in the country.
The High Court ultimately rejected that argument as insufficient to meet the legal standard required to establish tax residency.
The singer, 49, did not mince words in responding to the decision. “There was never any fraud, and the Tax Agency itself was never able to prove otherwise, simply because it wasn’t true,” Shakira said in a statement provided by her lawyers.
Her attorney, José Luís Prada, was equally forceful. “This resolution comes after an eight-year ordeal that has taken an unacceptable toll, reflecting a lack of rigor in administrative practices,” he said.
In a longer statement shared with Rolling Stone, the Colombian pop star said: “After more than eight years of enduring brutal public targeting, orchestrated campaigns to destroy my reputation, and sleepless nights that ultimately impacted my health and my family’s well-being, the court has now spoken.”
Monday’s ruling does not exist in isolation. It is the final chapter of what has been a sprawling, multi-front legal saga between Shakira and the Spanish tax authorities, one that spanned nearly a decade and touched on multiple fiscal years.
Spain’s High Court overturned the €55 million fine originally imposed in 2021 by the Spanish tax agency. The current refund order of over €60 million accounts for the original fine, additional penalties, and accrued legal interest, a figure that has grown substantially over the years the case dragged through the courts.
That case, however, was just one of several. In 2023, in a separate tax fraud case, Shakira reached a deal with Spanish prosecutors to avoid trial over charges that she had not paid Spanish income tax worth €14.5 million between 2012 and 2014.
As part of that deal, she accepted the charges and paid €7.3 million in addition to previously unpaid taxes and interest. A third investigation, related to allegations of tax fraud from 2018, was opened in July 2023, but by May 2024, investigators ruled there was not “sufficient evidence” to bring additional charges.
Monday’s acquittal pertains exclusively to the 2011 tax year and does not affect any of those prior settlements.
Shakira expressed hope that the ruling would set a precedent for other taxpayers who have faced similar overreach by Spain’s tax administration, a sentiment that resonates in a country where high-profile tax disputes involving foreign nationals and celebrities have repeatedly made headlines.
The decision to assign legal costs to the state is particularly notable. It signals that the court viewed the prosecution of this case as reckless, a finding that could embolden other taxpayers to challenge aggressive assessments by Spain’s Agencia Tributaria.
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Shakira is currently preparing to embark on a U.S. arena tour as part of her ongoing Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran world tour, set to kick off in June. The title of the tour, which translates to “The Women No Longer Cry,” takes on an almost prophetic resonance in light of Monday’s verdict.
After years of court dates, settlements, and public scrutiny, Shakira can now move forward with her hips and her finances intact. The Spanish government, meanwhile, must write a very large check.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
After an eight-year legal battle, Shakira has been fully vindicated by Spain’s National High Court, which ruled that the Spanish tax authorities failed to prove she was a legal resident in 2011, the single critical factor that unraveled the entire case against her.
The court found she spent only 163 days in Spain that year, 20 days short of the 183-day legal threshold for tax residency.
Not only was she acquitted, but the state has also been ordered to refund her over €60 million, including interest, and to foot the legal bill.
