Shakira is finally getting the last word after years of courtroom drama and “brutal public targeting.”
After a court in Madrid found her not guilty of tax fraud, the singer marked the legal victory with a not-so-subtle anthem to perfectly capture the moment.
“Turning a legal victory into a social media flex is wild. Most people would celebrate quietly — celebrities turn everything into a performance,” one netizen commented online.
Highlights
- Shakira appeared to share a loaded message following her recent legal victory.
- A court in Madrid found her not guilty of tax fraud and ordered Spain’s tax authority to repay more than 55 million euros ($64 million) to the Colombian superstar.
- “Turning a legal victory into a social media flex is wild. Most people would celebrate quietly — celebrities turn everything into a performance,” one netizen commented on a post that went up on her Instagram timeline following the ruling.
Shakira is finally getting the last word after years of courtroom drama and “brutal public targeting”
Image credits: Good Morning America
A court in Madrid ruled that it had mistakenly pursued Shakira for unpaid taxes in a case that’s more than a decade old.
As part of the ruling, Spain’s tax authority was ordered to repay more than €55 million ($64 million) to the Colombian superstar.
Following the legal victory, Shakira shared a post with Rihanna’s B*tch Better Have My Money blaring in the background
To celebrate the ruling, the Grammy winner hopped on Instagram and shared pictures of herself, with Rihanna’s hit track B*tch Better Have My Money blaring in the background.
Back in 2021, tax officials concluded that the singer, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, had spent over 183 days in Spain in 2011.
They claimed she was therefore liable to pay personal income tax and imposed massive fines on her.
However, the Whenever, Wherever singer was only in Spain for 163 days, which meant she didn’t complete the requirement of being in the country for 183 days to be considered a tax resident.
Image credits: PopBase
The court said the tax authorities failed to “prove that the singer had the core of her economic interests in Spain and family relationships with residents in our country.”
Shakira shared a strongly worded statement after the ruling, saying she was targeted to send a “threatening message to the rest of the taxpayers” in the country.
The Colombian superstar released a statement and said she was treated as guilty for about a decade
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“For nearly a decade, I have been treated as guilty,” she said in a Monday statement. “Today, that narrative falls apart.”
She spoke about the challenging legal process, where every step was “leaked, distorted, and amplified.”
“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,” the singer said.
Image credits: Shakira
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The tainted narrative around her name and public image now “crumbles” with “the full force of a court ruling,” she added.
Her legal team hailed the court’s decision as a “decisive and historic ruling.”
However, Spain’s tax agency said it would be appealing to the Spanish Supreme Court and will only make the payment after the final ruling.
Shakira’s legal team hailed the court’s decision as a “decisive and historic ruling”
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The singer was also at the center of a separate case, in which she faced six counts of tax fraud for failing to pay €14.5 million (around $17 million) in income taxes to the Spanish government from 2012 to 2014.
As part of the case, prosecutors asked for a prison sentence of more than eight years if convicted on all six counts of tax fraud.
The singer faced six counts of tax fraud and made a settlement in an unrelated case
Image credits: shakira
Just before the trial was set to begin in Barcelona in 2023, Shakira agreed to receive a three-year suspended sentence and pay a fine.
In total, she paid €17.5 million ($20 million), which included the taxes owed plus interest, and a fine of €7.3 million ($8.5 million).
Her recent legal victory came days after she was announced as a halftime performer, along with Madonna and BTS, for the half-time show at the FIFA Men’s World Cup final in July.
Fans called her a “petty queen” for her recent post, which had Rihanna’s money-demanding song in the background.
“Rihanna soundtrack for a legal win is iconic choice,” one said, while another wrote, “I love a petty queen.”
“Unmatched energy,” one fan said. “They tried her, she won and turned it into a whole moment. Shakira we love you!!”
“Shakira said ‘pay me back every single cent’ and chose the most perfect song in human history to say it,” wrote another.
“Spain needs to apologize to her for making her look like a fraudster back then,” read one comment
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