A Spanish court has acquitted Shakira in a tax fraud case. As reported by The Associated Press, the government was ordered to refund €55 million (roughly $64 million) in wrongly imposed fines.
The ruling relates to a dispute over the 2011 tax year, with the Madrid court saying authorities failed to prove the Colombian singer was a resident of Spain at that time. Shakira’s defense stated that the Treasury has been ordered to reimburse her more than €60 million ($70 million), which includes accrued interest.
Spanish authorities were only able to prove Shakira lived in Spain for a total of 163 days in 2011, the court said, falling short of the 183 days required to be considered a tax resident.
The tax agency’s argument had tied Shakira to Spain due to a relationship with her former partner, former Barcelona soccer player Gerard Piqué, and because her primary economic activities were based in the country.
However, the High Court ruled that they did not have the equivalent of a marital relationship. Furthermore, “the main center or base” of Shakira’s activities or economic interests in 2011 was not proven to be directly or indirectly located in Spain.
In a press statement (via NME), Shakira said the court “finally set the record straight” after she spent eight years “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 statement continued, “There was never any fraud, and the Tax Agency itself was never able to prove otherwise, simply because it wasn’t true. Yet, for nearly a decade, I was treated as guilty. Every step of the process was leaked, distorted, and amplified, using my name and public image to send a threatening message to the rest of the taxpayers. Today, that narrative crumbles, and it does so with the full force of a court ruling.”
The ruling only applies to the 2011 tax year and does not affect subsequent years.
In 2023, Shakira reached an agreement with prosecutors to avoid trial for a separate tax fraud case over charges that she did not pay Spanish income tax worth €14.5 million (then $15.8 million) between 2012 and 2014. She was ordered to pay a fine of €7.3 million (then $8 million) in addition to the unpaid taxes and interest.
In other Shakira news, she recently teamed up with Burna Boy for the official 2026 World Cup song “Dai Dai,” and is set to kick off the US leg of her 2026 “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour” in mid-June. Get tickets for her upcoming tour dates here.
Midway through the US run, Shakira will take the stage during the World Cup Final on July 19th to headline the halftime show alongside Madonna and BTS.
Shakira 2026 Tour Dates:
06/13 – Inglewood, CA @ Intuit Dome [Buy Tickets]
06/14 – Inglewood, CA @ Intuit Dome [Buy Tickets]
06/17 – Palm Desert, CA @ Acrisure Arena at Greater Palm Springs [Buy Tickets]
06/19 – San Jose, CA @ SAP Center [Buy Tickets]
06/20 – San Jose, CA @ SAP Center [Buy Tickets]
06/23 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center [Buy Tickets]
06/26 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena [Buy Tickets]
06/28 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena [Buy Tickets]
07/01 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center [Buy Tickets]
07/02 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center [Buy Tickets]
07/06 – Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena [Buy Tickets]
07/10 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden [Buy Tickets]
07/11 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden [Buy Tickets]
07/14 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center [Buy Tickets]
07/20 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center [Buy Tickets]
07/21 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center [Buy Tickets]
07/23 – Belmont, NY @ UBS Arena [Buy Tickets]
07/25 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Boardwalk Hall [Buy Tickets]
09/18 – Madrid, ES @ Shakira Stadium
09/19 – Madrid, ES @ Shakira Stadium
09/20 – Madrid, ES @ Shakira Stadium
09/25 – Madrid, ES @ Shakira Stadium
09/26 – Madrid, ES @ Shakira Stadium
09/27 – Madrid, ES @ Shakira Stadium
10/02 – Madrid, ES @ Shakira Stadium
10/03 – Madrid, ES @ Shakira Stadium
10/04 – Madrid, ES @ Shakira Stadium
10/10 – Madrid, ES @ Shakira Stadium
10/11 – Madrid, ES @ Shakira Stadium
11/18 – Doha, QA @ 974 Stadium
11/21 – Abu Dhabi, AE @ OFFLIMITS Music Festival
11/28 – Al Haram, EG @ Pyramids of Giza
