Shakira wins £50m tax refund from Spanish government

The Colombian singer says the court ruling means the "narrative" that she was guilty now "crumbles". Shakira hits out after winning £50m Spanish tax refund Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Shakira is known for hits including Hips Don't Lie, Waka Waka and Whenever, Wherever Shakira wins £50m tax refund from Spanish government A Spanish court has ordered the country's tax authority to refund €55m (£48m, $64m) to singer Shakira after ruling that the money was improperly collected in a dispute over her taxes. The national high court has acquitted the Colombian singer of tax fraud and ordered the Treasury to repay the money plus interest to her. It said tax authorities had failed to prove she spent 183 days in Spain in 2011 - the minimum required for residents to pay personal income tax there. Shakira said the court had "finally set the record straight" after she had spent eight years "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 star, who is known for hits like Hips Don't Lie and Wherever, Whenever, added: "There was never any fraud, and the Administration itself could never prove otherwise, simply because it wasn't true. "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." She dedicated her victory to the "thousands of ordinary citizens" made to similarly prove their innocence at "the cost of economic and emotional ruin". The repayment includes about €24m (£21m) in income tax and almost €25m (£22m) in fines for what authorities had described as a "very serious" infringement. The tax agency said it would appeal to the Supreme Court and that no payment would be made until the final ruling. Shakira lived with former Barcelona and Spain footballer Gerard Pique for more than a decade after reportedly meeting in 2010 while filming the music video for Waka Waka, the official song of the World Cup in South Africa. The High Court said that the fines were unlawful because they relied on the assumption that Spain was her tax residence for the 2011 fiscal year, "a fact which has not been proven". The court said she spent 163 days in Spain in that financial year - 20 days short of the threshold for her to be classed as a resident for tax purposes. The case does not involve the tax years after 2011. The dispute was one of several involving Shakira and Spain's tax agency, including a separate settlement reached in 2018 to avoid a trial in a broader fraud case. Writing in Spanish daily publication El Mundo in 2024, Shakira, 49, compared the tax office investigations into her affairs to an "inquisition trial". The latest ruling comes as Shakira is set to wrap up her Women Don't Cry Anymore world tour with a residency in Madrid from September. She will also perform alongside Madonna and BTS during the half-time show at this summer's Fifa Men's World Cup final, it was announced last week. She will also perform alongside Madonna and BTS during the half-time show at this summer's Fifa Men's World Cup final, it was Earlier this month, two million people attended a free Shakira concert on the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. Earlier this month, two million people attended a free Shakira concert on the Copacabana beach A split image of Madonna, Shakira and Jungkook of BTS. Madonna, Shakira & BTS to headline World Cup show Shakira in a green top, her long brown hair loose, smiling on stage Huge crowd attends free Shakira Copacabana beach concert Shakira with brown hair in a green top, smiling on stage Shakira settles Spanish tax case with €7.5m fine Spain midfielder Fermin Lopez is expected to miss this summer's World Cup because of a foot fracture he suffered while playing for Barcelona. Twins from the Catalonia region of Spain say they have finally found closure after discovering how their grandfather died. Alex Batty reveals all about his abduction and life on the run in a new BBC documentary. The summer festival at London's Hyde Park will see the eight-member K-pop group perform. A group of young people describe working on a major stage production by the English National Opera. The artists have donated tickets to raise money in memory of Coventry father Adam Keane. Levellers will play at Hove Park in September to celebrate 35 years of the Levelling the Land album. BIIRD's rise has been rapid, driven almost entirely by the strength of their live performances and word of mouth.