SPAIN’S National Court has ruled in favour of Colombian superstar Shakira, ordering the taxman to repay her more than €60 million.
The Audiencia Nacional annulled a tax assessment linked to Shakira’s 2011 fiscal year.
It found that officials failed to prove she was a tax resident in Spain at the time.
As a result, they dismissed the case in her favour.
The ruling is a major legal victory for Shakira and overturns a previous administrative decision issued by Spain’s Central Economic-Administrative Court.
The court said that the Spanish tax agency, known as the Hacienda, failed to prove Shakira spent more than 183 days in Spain in 2011.
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The court found there was no proof that Spain was her main economic or personal base.
Shakira was touring worldwide and mainly tied financially outside Spain.
The court ruled the tax assessment unlawful, annulled it, and ordered a full refund plus interest and costs.
In an unusual step, the court also ordered the tax agency to bear the costs of the proceedings.
This usually only applies when the administration acted without proper legal basis or with serious procedural errors.
The ruling is a full victory for the singer, closing the 2011 tax case in her favour.
Shakira welcomed the decision in a strongly worded statement, saying she endured years of public scrutiny and reputational damage.
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“Every step of the process has been leaked, distorted and amplified, and my name and public figure have been used to send a threatening message to the rest of the contributors”, Shakira said.
She previously likened her ordeal to the Inquisition.
She said there was no fraud and criticised a system that presumes guilt before proving innocence.
According to the superstar, the long-running dispute took a significant toll on her personal life, health and family.
Shakira said she hoped the ruling would serve as a warning against overreach in tax enforcement cases.
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