Although initially there was talk of 276 million, a new count by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Internal Revenue Service raised the figure by over 100 million dollars.

Since 2015, these persons created companies in areas such as services and construction with the sole purpose of evading the treasury.

The defendants were linked to seven criminal groups and designed a complex scheme through various tactics and entities to hide their real income and reduce their tax obligations.

The Canessa clan, led by José Antonio Pavez Canessa, created a network formed by 16 companies that were dedicated to issuing and facilitating false invoices to other firms.

The leaders of the criminal groups, all Chileans, used the illegally-gained money to acquire luxury apartments and high-end cars.

The Prosecutor’s Office accuses them of tax crimes, illicit association, money laundering and maliciously false export declaration.

As recently stated by Finance Minister Mario Marcel, the magnitude of the embezzled money is equivalent to the construction of 25 family health centers, three highly complex hospitals and 15 high schools.

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