Since 2015, the defendants designed a complex tax evasion scheme through which they caused damage to state treasury for 240 billion pesos (about 276 million dollars).

Those involved were linked to seven criminal clans who issued more than 100,000 false invoices to some 3,300 taxpayers, to which end they created companies in areas such as services and construction with the sole purpose of defrauding public revenues.

The objective of the Commission for Investigations, which must present a report within 60 days, is to supervise the actions of the Ministry of Finance, Customs, the Internal Revenue Service and the Commission for the Financial Market over the last decade.

The request to establish the Commission was presented by 66 deputies due to the seriousness of the case.

The fraud became known last December during an operation carried out by the Money Laundering Brigade of the Police Department for Investigations (PDI), which simultaneously raided 83 homes in different regions of the country.

So far the PDI has managed to recover items, homes and money for a total of 25 billion pesos (28.6 million dollars).

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

jrr/llp/rgh/car