Shakira backed by Spanish court over tax claim

Artist is currently facing a separate criminal lawsuit over a £12.4m tax dispute

Shakira is due to be reimbursed by tax authorities after a decision was made by a Spanish administrative court.

The Colombian singer is currently facing a separate criminal lawsuit over a 14.5m euro (£12.4m) tax dispute.

Reuters reports that Shakira’s legal team have not specified how much money she will get back or when the decision was made.

In a statement, the team said: “This shows that, more often than it might seem, the courts are opposing tax authorities' criteria, even annulling incorrectly ordered tax payments.”

In July, a judge recommended that the 44-year-old singer, born Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, face trial over allegations that she failed to pay 14.5m euros in taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014.

On Sunday 3 October, she was named in the Pandora Papers as one of the wealthy celebrities linked to offshore investments and tax avoidance schemes.

A consortium of more than 600 journalists allege that Shakira, along with fellow musicians Elton John and Ringo Starr, set up PO box companies in known tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands, Panama or the Bahamas.

The Independent has contacted Shakira’s representative for comment.