Pop star Shakira is acquitted in a Spanish tax fraud case

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MADRID (AP) — A Spanish court acquitted Shakira in a tax fraud case, ordering the government to return more than 55 million euros ($64 million) in wrongly imposed fines, a court document seen Monday by The Associated Press said.

The decision follows years of tax troubles in Spain for the Colombian superstar.

The ruling relates to a dispute over the 2011 tax year in which Spanish authorities failed to prove that the singer was a resident of Spain, the Madrid-based court said in its decision.

For a person to be considered a tax resident in Spain, she must spend more than 183 days in the country.

Spanish authorities were only able to prove that Shakira lived in Spain that year for a total of 163 days, the court said, ordering the Treasury to reimburse the singer the tax paid plus interest.

Spain's tax agency argued that at the time Shakira was tied to Spain through a relationship with now-retired soccer player Gerard Piqué, and that she based her main economic activities in the country.

But the High Court ruled that the relationship could not be legally equated to a marital one, nor was it proven that “the main center or base” of Shakira's activities or economic interests in 2011 were directly or indirectly located in Spain.

“There was never any fraud, and the Tax Agency itself was never able to prove otherwise, simply because it wasn’t true," Shakira, who had filed an appeal, said in a statement provided by her lawyers.

Spain's Treasury is to reimburse the singer 60 million euros (almost $70 million), including interest, Shakira’s lawyer said.

“This resolution comes after an eight-year ordeal that has taken an unacceptable toll, reflecting a lack of rigor in administrative practices,” her attorney, José Luís Prada, said in a statement.

In 2023, in a separate tax fraud case, Shakira reached a deal with Spanish prosecutors to avoid a trial over charges that she did not pay Spanish income tax worth 14.5 million euros (then $15.8 million) between 2012 and 2014.

The singer accepted the charges and was forced to pay 7.3 million euros (then $8 million) in addition to the previously unpaid taxes and interest.

The "Hips Don't Lie" singer was named in the 2017 “Paradise Papers” leaks that detailed the offshore tax arrangements of numerous high-profile individuals, including pop icons Madonna and U2’s Bono.

Spain's tax authorities have over the past decade or so cracked down on soccer stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for not paying their full due in taxes. Those players were found guilty of tax evasion but avoided prison time thanks to a provision that allows a judge to waive sentences under two years in length for first-time offenders.