Spanish Court Acquits Shakira of Tax Fraud After Eight Years and Orders Government to Return $70 Million

May 20, 2026 by apost team

For nearly a decade, Shakira fought a legal battle that she consistently maintained had no basis in truth. On Monday, May 18, 2026, Spain's High Court gave her the outcome she had always insisted was the only just one: a full acquittal.

The ruling related to a dispute over the 2011 tax year, in which Spanish authorities had claimed the singer owed taxes as a Spanish resident. The court found that the prosecution had failed to prove Shakira spent the minimum 183 days required in Spain to be classified as a fiscal resident. The court determined she spent 163 days there that year — 20 days short of the threshold. Spain's High Court overturned the €55 million fine, approximately $64 million, that the Spanish tax agency had imposed in 2021. A representative for Shakira confirmed that the Spanish government must now return over €60 million, approximately $70 million, to the singer, including interest.

The case was one of two tax disputes Shakira faced in Spain. In November 2023, on the first day of a separate trial in Barcelona relating to unpaid taxes between 2012 and 2014, she reached a deal with prosecutors to avoid a potential prison sentence. Under that agreement, she accepted a suspended three-year sentence and a fine of €7 million. This latest acquittal is unrelated to that settlement and pertains solely to the 2011 tax year.

Shakira, born Feb. 2, 1977, has maintained throughout that she was never a Spanish resident during the period in question and that the claims against her were without merit. In a statement following the ruling, she made clear that the victory was about far more than money.

"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.

"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. My greatest wish is that this ruling sets a precedent for the Treasury and serves the countless people who, like me, have been subjected to unjust treatment."

Her attorney, José Luís Prada, was equally direct. "This resolution comes after an eight-year ordeal that has taken an unacceptable toll, reflecting a lack of rigor in administrative practices," he said. "Shakira had the strength and resources to see this through to the end, but this modus operandi suffocates many ordinary taxpayers who do not have the means to defend themselves. For this reason, it is an immense relief and a source of deep pride to witness the rigor and independence of our courts."

The ruling arrives at a moment when Shakira's career is as prominent as ever. She performed a free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 2, 2026, drawing a massive crowd. On May 14, 2026, she appeared in New York City to announce her role as the halftime show performer for the FIFA World Cup Final. Her "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour" is set to include a U.S. arena run beginning in June 2026, followed by a residency at Shakira Stadium in Madrid beginning in September.

The court has now spoken. After eight years, the case is closed — and the money is coming back.

apost.com

Do you think Shakira's acquittal is a victory not just for her but for anyone who has faced unfair legal pressure? Let us know in the comments and pass this on to your family, friends, and other Shakira fans out there!