Spain's tax authorities have been ordered to refund Colombian pop star Shakira €55 million ($64 million), after a court ruled that the amount was improperly collected during a dispute over her 2011 taxes. The National Audience court in Madrid issued the decision in mid-April, though it only became public on Monday.

The ruling followed an appeal by Shakira, who has long argued that she was not a full resident of Spain at the time. Her lawyers pointed out that she and her ex-husband, footballer Gerard Piqué, first bought a house in Spain in 2012, and that her frequent touring made it impossible to meet the required 183-day residency threshold in 2011.

The court agreed with her arguments and ordered the reimbursement of tens of millions of euros that were collected in 2021. In a statement, lawyer Jose Luis Prada said: "This decision comes after an eight-year ordeal that has taken an unacceptable toll, reflecting a lack of rigor in administrative practice."

Shakira herself expressed hope that the ruling would set a precedent and help "thousands of ordinary citizens who are abused and crushed every day by a system that presumes them guilty and forces them to prove their innocence while facing financial and emotional ruin."

In 2023, Shakira reached a settlement with prosecutors in a separate tax evasion case covering 2012-2014. She pleaded guilty to avoid trial and agreed to pay €7.3 million. The singer has claimed she accepted guilt to spare her family further legal proceedings.

Her ex-husband, former FC Barcelona star Gerard Piqué, has also been involved in major tax fraud cases in Spain but was cleared of wrongdoing by the Supreme Court in 2021.

Source: www.dw.com