Shakira's team frames this as a complete vindication — the judge saw through what her lawyer called 'brutal public targeting' and 'orchestrated campaigns to destroy my reputation.' The message: she was always innocent, and now everyone knows it.
The Spanish Tax Agency isn't going quietly. They're planning a Supreme Court appeal, which means Shakira won't see that $70 million check until the final ruling — if there even is one. This fight might not be over yet.
Judge ruled authorities did NOT prove Shakira spent more than 183 days in Spain in 2011, the legal threshold for tax residency. She'll receive reimbursement of the $64M fine imposed in 2021 plus additional sums covering fines and interest.
Eight years, a $15 million settlement she insisted wasn't an admission of guilt, and one massive fine later — Shakira walks away with her reputation restored and enough money to make the whole ordeal profitable. But don't celebrate too hard: Spain's tax authorities are already gearing up for round two.
Shakira has been fully acquitted in her Spanish tax fraud case — and she's walking away with a payout north of $70 million, Reuters reported Monday. The National High Court ruled that Spanish authorities failed to prove the Grammy-winning singer spent more than 183 days in Spain during 2011, which would have made her legally obligated to pay taxes there. The songwriter was originally hit with a $64 million fine back in 2021 for allegedly dodging taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014 — but that penalty is now being fully refunded, plus additional sums covering fines and accumulated interest.
The Colombian pop star celebrated the win in a statement to TMZ, declaring definitively: "There was never any fraud." Her full remarks painted a picture of an artist who has been systematically worn down by nearly a decade of legal warfare. "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 National High Court has finally set the record straight," she said.
Her attorney, Jose Luis Prada, echoed that sentiment in a statement provided through legal channels: "[The victory] comes after an eight-year ordeal that has taken an unacceptable toll, reflecting a lack of rigor in administrative practice." The language was pointed — suggesting Shakira's team sees this not just as a win, but as an indictment of how Spanish authorities pursued the case in the first place. The singer, now 49, was originally indicted back in 2018 and has maintained her innocence throughout.
But here's where it gets complicated: Shakira isn't exactly leaving that courtroom with clean hands. On the very first day of her trial in November 2023, she struck a separate deal with the Spanish government for $15 million to settle claims related to the same tax period at issue in Monday's acquittal. She addressed that settlement at the time, writing on social media that she'd made "the decision to resolve this case with the best interest of my kids at heart." Her sons Milan, now 13, and Sasha, now 11 — whom she shares with ex Gerard Piqué — reportedly didn't want to see their mother continue sacrificing her personal well-being for the fight.
A year later, in a September 2024 essay published in Mundo, Shakira doubled down on that reasoning: "I need them to know that I made the decisions I made to protect them, to be by their side and to get on with my life — not out of cowardice or guilt." So yes, she's acquitted. And yes, she's getting $70 million back. But don't expect this to wrap up cleanly: Spain's tax agency has already announced plans to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, which means Shakira won't see a single dollar until that final decision comes down — if it ever does. Shakira's representatives did not immediately respond to Page Six's request for comment.
