A Spanish court has ordered the tax authority to refund Colombian pop star Shakira more than 55 million euros ($64 million) improperly collected in a dispute over her 2011 taxes’

Order was giving in a ruling on Monday, the National Audience said tax authorities had failed to prove that the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer spent more than 183 days in Spain in 2011, the legal threshold requiring residents to pay personal income tax in the country.

“On the contrary, the court found that Shakira spent 163 days in Spain and that the tax authorities had therefore failed to prove that the singer had the centre of her economic interests in Spain,” according to the ruling issued last month, which was seen by AFP on Monday.

The court ruled that Spain’s tax agency must return all amounts paid, plus legal interest, effectively cancelling multimillion-euro penalties and tax adjustments that had classified Shakira as a Spanish tax resident for that year.

Shakira welcomed the ruling, saying the court had “finally set the record straight” after years of “brutal public exposure, orchestrated campaigns to destroy my reputation, and sleepless nights that ultimately affected my health and my family’s wellbeing”.

“Every step of the process was leaked, distorted, and amplified, using my name and public image to send a threatening message to other taxpayers. Today, that narrative falls apart,” she added in a statement sent to AFP.

The total repayment exceeds 55 million euros and includes about 24 million euros in income tax, nearly 25 million euros in fines for what authorities had described as a “very serious” infringement, plus interest.

The ruling comes as Shakira, 49, is set to wrap up her record-breaking “Women Don’t Cry Anymore” world tour with a concert residency in Madrid starting in September.

Shakira lived with former FC Barcelona and Spain footballer Gerard Pique for more than a decade before the couple separated in 2022.