Shakira has been on an absolute tear lately.
Following the messy public split from her ex, Gerard Piqué, Shakira channelled the fallout straight into her music – famously declaring “las mujeres ya no lloran, las mujeres facturan” (women don’t cry anymore, women cash checks).
And she’s been doing exactly that. Big streaming numbers, major touring momentum, and a steady run of industry wins have kept her firmly in control of the narrative.
Now, she’s added a legal victory to the list.
A Madrid court has cleared Shakira in a long-running dispute with Spain’s tax authority over her 2011 finances. The Audiencia Nacional ruled in her favour, ordering the government to repay €55 million (around £48m) plus interest after finding it had wrongly pursued the case.
At the centre was whether she qualified as a Spanish tax resident that year. Prosecutors argued she should pay income tax in Spain, but the court found they could only prove she spent 163 days in the country—short of the 183-day legal threshold.
Attempts to link her residency status to her relationship with Piqué were also dismissed, with judges stating it didn’t establish Spain as her primary economic base.
In a statement, Shakira said the case had taken a serious toll, describing years of “brutal public shaming” and reputational damage.
The ruling is separate from her 2023 settlement over tax issues between 2012 and 2014, which she resolved to avoid trial, maintaining her innocence at the time.
Spanish authorities are expected to appeal, meaning the payout won’t land just yet—but for now, it’s another win in a run that doesn’t look like slowing down.
