The Attorney General's Office has requested a detailed report from the Directorate General of Revenues (DGI) regarding a series of complaints filed by lawyer Guillermo A. Cochez F., accusing various companies of alleged tax fraud. The request was made through prosecutor Rigoberto González Montenegro, who detailed that the complaints date back to 2019 and have not been properly investigated by the DGI.
According to Cochez's writing, the first complaint was filed in December 2019 and pointed to possible crimes of evasion, omission, non-retention, and tax fraud against several companies, including Millicom International, Digital Telecommunications (formerly Cable Onda, S.A.), Telecarrier, Inc., Fronteras Security, Medios de Comunicación, S.A., Empresa General de Capital, S.A., and MHC Holdings, Inc.
The complainant argues that, despite indications of irregularities, the DGI quickly dismissed the initial complaint in January 2020 without conducting a thorough investigation. Following DGI's refusal, Cochez filed several reconsideration motions and new complaints between 2020 and 2024, all rejected by the entity.
In the most recent complaint, filed in March 2024, Cochez insists on the existence of serious indications of tax fraud by some of the mentioned companies, highlighting that the amount defrauded could reach 74 million dollars. The lawyer noted that one of the reported companies, Empresa General de Capital, S.A. (Banco General), would have correctly paid its taxes, while others, like MEDCOM, would not have.
Due to the lack of response from the DGI, the Attorney General's Office has requested the current director general of the entity, Camilo Valdés, a detailed report of the facts within five business days, in order to clarify the situation and determine if there is any responsibility on the part of the involved companies. It is expected that the Public Ministry will take action and proceed with the necessary investigations, in compliance with Article 347 of the Judicial Code.
The business and legal community are closely watching the development of this case, which could have significant implications regarding tax compliance in the country.
