The fine is half of the €14.5m (around £12.7m) purportedly owed in taxes during 2012-2014, and an additional €438,000 (around £382,000) to forgo a potential three-year incarceration. The judge ratified the agreement, with Shakira acknowledging the claims and sanctions proposed.

Despite her readiness to assert her innocence, she cited personal motives, notably her career and family, as the impetus for this resolution. Shakira, facing another tax fraud inquiry in Spain, had previously pledged to contest these allegations, The Guardian reports.

The prosecution had called for a maximum eight-year prison sentence, contending that her residency status and property purchases indicated her fiscal obligations to Spain.

Shakira’s legal counsel recognised the settlement as a tactical move “motivated by personal issues”, affirming their belief in her innocence.