Pop star Shakira is acquitted in a Spanish tax fraud case

"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."

A Spanish court acquitted Shakira in a tax fraud case and ordered the government to return more than 55 million euros in wrongly imposed fines. The dispute concerned the 2011 tax year. Spanish authorities failed to prove that Shakira was a tax resident of Spain. Spanish tax residency requires spending more than 183 days in Spain. Authorities proved only 163 days. The tax agency argued that Shakira’s relationship with retired soccer player Gerard Piqué tied her to Spain and that her main economic activities were based in the country. The court found the relationship could not be legally equated to marriage and that the main center or base of her activities or economic interests in 2011 was not proven to be in Spain. The Treasury must reimburse the tax paid plus interest.

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