The UAE Attorney General, Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, has mandated the criminal trial of 15 defendants of various Arab nationalities. Among these, some are currently in custody, while others are fugitives with active arrest warrants against them. The indictments encompass 12 companies implicated in crimes such as falsifying official documents, money laundering, and tax evasion.
Investigations led by the Federal Prosecution for Tax Evasion Crimes, under the direct oversight of the Attorney General, revealed that these entities formed a criminal syndicate. Their operations involved fabricating official documents purportedly issued by the Ministry of Economy, the Chamber of Commerce, the Customs Department, and other organizations. Through these fraudulent means, they illegally appropriated the value of the refunded value-added tax (VAT) on goods they falsely claimed to have purchased, paid tax on, and exported. They also established companies specifically to facilitate this criminal activity and illegally retained VAT amounts on import transactions that should have been remitted to the Federal Tax Authority.
The total illicit gains amassed by the accused exceeded Dh107 million. Additionally, they concealed and laundered the proceeds of these crimes to mask their illegal origins.
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