After years of legal battles and facing accusations, pop star Shakira has been acquitted in the tax fraud case. On May 18, the Spanish court not only ruled in the singer's favour, but also ordered the country's tax authority to refund Colombian pop star 55 million euros ($64 million) improperly collected in a dispute over her 2011 taxes.
It has been learned that the tax authorities failed to prove that the singer had spent more than 183 days in Spain in 2011. Shakira's win comes after eight years of court battle, in which the tax authorities argued that the singer had lived in Spain for more than 183 days per year between 2012 and 2014, which legally made her a Spanish tax resident and hence she had to pay the taxes in Spain from her huge income. Welcoming the court ruling, Shakira said that she has endured brutal public targeting that impacted her health and her family's well-being.
“After more than eight years of 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 National High Court has finally set the record straight. There was never any fraud, and the Administration itself could never prove otherwise, simply because it wasn’t true, Shakira said following the ruling. The tax authorities had failed to prove that the "Hips Don't Lie" singer spent more than 183 days in Spain in 2011. In the investigation, it was found that the singer has only lived 163 days. (Agencies)
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