Spanish court orders $64M tax refund to Shakira; 2023 fraud ruling unchanged

[Teletubby 159,960]

Spain's High Court has acquitted Colombian pop star Shakira of tax fraud and overturned the 55 million euro ($64 million) fine imposed in 2021 by the Spanish tax agency, according to a court document. The case is separate from the Spanish tax fraud case settled by Shakira in 2023.

Acting on an appeal by the "Hips Don't Lie" singer, the court ordered the Treasury to reimburse her with over 60 million euros, including interest, Shakira's defence said.

The judge ruled that authorities had failed to prove that Shakira spent more than 183 days in Spain in 2011, as required by Spanish law to ⁠be considered a tax resident in the country. The singer herself acknowledged 143 days. 

The new ruling can still be appealed before the Supreme ‌Court ⁠and does not affect tax years after 2011.

Shakira's victory, however, does not alter the outcome of the criminal case against her, in which fraud was indeed proven. 

That said, this relates to subsequent years: from 2012 to 2014. Shakira agreed to a three-year prison sentence (which she has not served, as each of the three tax offences carried a sentence of just one year) and the payment of a fine of €7.3 million. Following an agreement with the Public Prosecutor's Office, the singer accepted that she was already a tax resident in Spain during those years and yet evaded paying her taxes.
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Edited 12 hours ago by Teletubby

[Rahrahbitchson 22,485]

Can someone explain in pop terms please

[Bronco 21,447]

3 minutes ago, Rahrahbitchson said:

Can someone explain in pop terms please

Katy Perry's been given new streams for her old work after it was decided she was cancelled

[River 124,992]

this money is so dirty, better put it in the laundry

[Teletubby 159,960]

Now this fraud is trying to convince everyone that she has been completely cleared of tax fraud charges—not just for 2011—and is trying to play the victim

"There was never any fraud, and the Administration itself was never able to prove otherwise, simply because it wasn’t true.

“Even so, for almost a decade, I have been treated as guilty, every step of the process has been leaked, distorted, and amplified, and my name and public image have been used to send a threatening message to other taxpayers.

“After more than eight years of enduring brutal public shaming, orchestrated campaigns to destroy my reputation, and countless sleepless nights that ultimately affected my health and the well-being of my family, the National Court has finally set things right. My greatest wish is that this ruling sets a precedent for the Tax Agency and serves the thousands of ordinary citizens who are abused and crushed every day by a system that presumes their guilt.”

 

[Juanlittlem 48,796]

1 hour ago, River said:

this money is so dirty, better put it in the laundry

[InTheCloset 21,645]

what i dont get is that she is rich af.. why cant she pay her taxes?

[Economy 52,284]

So basically she got vindicated for only 1 of those years?

 

Also what about the 3 year sentense she hasnt served? Is she going to have to?

[Economy 52,284]

31 minutes ago, InTheCloset said:

what i dont get is that she is rich af.. why cant she pay her taxes?

I have a feeling she probably just wasnt originally thinking about it or actively trying to evaid anything since she was back and fourth from US to Spain and primarily considered herself a US citizen and when she got slapped with it she probably wasnt originally counting on it and didnt wanna pay it (would be my guess but i dont know)

 

She probably also doesnt feel she should have to pay tax in 2 Countries cuz Guaranteed, paying taxes in Spain doesnt mean she doesnt have to pay her taxes in the US

 

Again these would be my guesses

Edited 8 hours ago by Economy

[clownery 7,584]

https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/cy82j4lr9vpo.amp

After eight years of court battle, Colombian singer Shakira has just won one of her pulses against the Spanish Treasury, which must return 60 million euros (almost US$70 million) in taxes and penalties improperly collected, according to the National Court.

"There was never fraud, and the administration itself could never prove otherwise, simply because it was not true," she said in a statement released after the sentence was announced Monday.

[InTheCloset 21,645]

2 hours ago, Economy said:

I have a feeling she probably just wasnt originally thinking about it or actively trying to evaid anything since she was back and fourth from US to Spain and primarily considered herself a US citizen and when she got slapped with it she probably wasnt originally counting on it and didnt wanna pay it (would be my guess but i dont know)

 

She probably also doesnt feel she should have to pay tax in 2 Countries cuz Guaranteed, paying taxes in Spain doesnt mean she doesnt have to pay her taxes in the US

 

Again these would be my guesses

economy i love you but please explain in pop terms

[Teletubby 159,960]

3 hours ago, Economy said:

I have a feeling she probably just wasnt originally thinking about it or actively trying to evaid anything since she was back and fourth from US to Spain and primarily considered herself a US citizen and when she got slapped with it she probably wasnt originally counting on it and didnt wanna pay it (would be my guess but i dont know)

 

She probably also doesnt feel she should have to pay tax in 2 Countries cuz Guaranteed, paying taxes in Spain doesnt mean she doesnt have to pay her taxes in the US

 

Again these would be my guesses

She wasn't paying taxes in the US, she used Bahamas as her residency to avoid taxes. In 2007, she bought property in Nassau (Bahamas) and that was enough for her to get permanent residency.  The Bahamas is a tax haven and residents are not taxed on personal income at all. 

She provided electricity, water, cable television bills in Nassau to Spain’s head tax office as proof that she lived there. But it turned out that these bills had been paid by a company and the people running them up were the employees she had hired to take care of the property. But Shakira was not in Nassau for even a day in 2011-2014.

Edited 5 hours ago by Teletubby

[RAMROD 115,728]

A Spanish court acquitted Shakira in a tax fraud case, ordering the government to return more than 55 million euros ($64 million) in wrongly imposed fines, a court document seen Monday by The Associated Press said.

The decision follows years of tax troubles in Spain for the Colombian superstar.

The ruling relates to a dispute over the 2011 tax year in which Spanish authorities failed to prove that the singer was a resident of Spain, the Madrid-based court said in its decision.

For a person to be considered a tax resident in Spain, she must spend more than 183 days in the country.

Spanish authorities were only able to prove that Shakira lived in Spain that year for a total of 163 days, the court said, ordering the Treasury to reimburse the singer the tax paid plus interest.

Spain's tax agency argued that at the time Shakira was tied to Spain through a relationship with now-retired soccer player Gerard Piqué, and that she based her main economic activities in the country.

But the High Court ruled that the relationship could not be legally equated to a marital one, nor was it proven that "the main center or base" of Shakira's activities or economic interests in 2011 were directly or indirectly located in Spain.

"There was never any fraud, and the Tax Agency itself was never able to prove otherwise, simply because it wasn't true," Shakira, who had filed an appeal, said in a statement provided by her lawyers.

Spain's Treasury is to reimburse the singer 60 million euros (almost $70 million), including interest, Shakira's lawyer said.

"This resolution comes after an eight-year ordeal that has taken an unacceptable toll, reflecting a lack of rigor in administrative practices," her attorney, José Luís Prada, said in a statement.

https://www.npr.org/2026/05/18/g-s1-122563/pop-star-shakira-is-acquitted-in-a-spanish-tax-fraud-case

[LG2008 6,254]

Not her making it seem like she hasn't commited fraud at all... This is just one of the many cases she had  I hope someone clocks her cause this level of nerve is beyond