After an eight-year legal battle, Shakira has been acquitted of tax fraud in Spain, with a court ordering the country’s treasury to refund nearly $65 million improperly collected from the singer.

Spain’s high court ruled that tax authorities failed to prove the Colombian star spent the required 183 days in Spain in 2011 to qualify as a tax resident. According to the ruling, Shakira spent only 163 days in the country during that financial year, making her not liable for personal income tax.

Despite the ruling, Spain’s tax agency said it would appeal to the Spanish Supreme Court and would not make any payment until a final decision is reached.

Reacting to the judgment, Shakira said: “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.”

The singer also criticised the handling of the case, saying: “Yet, for nearly a decade, I was treated as guilty. Every step of the process was leaked, distorted, and amplified, using my name and public image to send a threatening message to the rest of the taxpayers.”

She added: “Today, that narrative crumbles, and it does so with the full force of a court ruling.”