After years of legal tension, Colombian global music icon Shakira has finally seen closure in her high-profile tax dispute in Spain, with authorities formally winding down proceedings and moving to release about $64 million tied to the long-running case.
The development brings an end to a saga that dominated headlines for years, centring on allegations that the singer failed to pay taxes between 2012 and 2014 while living in Spain. Prosecutors had argued she was effectively resident in the country due to her relationship with former Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué, while Shakira’s legal team consistently maintained that her official tax residency during the period remained outside Spain.
Although she reached a settlement agreement with Spanish tax authorities in 2023—paying a significant fine while continuing to deny wrongdoing—the latest move signals a full administrative conclusion, with previously frozen or disputed funds now being released back to her.
Spanish legal sources say the decision represents the final phase of one of the most widely followed celebrity tax cases in recent European legal history, both for its global attention and the large sums involved.
Shakira, whose career spans decades of international success with hits such as Hips Don’t Lie and Waka Waka, has since relocated much of her base to the United States, where she continues to focus on music, touring and family life following her separation from Piqué.
With the matter now effectively resolved, the superstar is expected to fully move past the legal distractions and continue her global entertainment career without lingering financial disputes in Spain.
