The Department of Justice (DoJ) has filed tax evasion charges against three executives of Hilmarc’s Construction Corp., one of the country’s top government contractors, over the alleged use of fraudulent receipts to evade P176 million in taxes.

Eight criminal cases were filed before the Court of Tax Appeals against Hilmarc’s officers Efren M. Canlas, Robert B. Henson and Cristina Elisse F. Canlas for violation of Sections 254 and 255 of the Tax Code, which cover attempts to evade taxes and failure to provide accurate tax information.

The DoJ said the charges stemmed from a complaint filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue as part of its intensified crackdown on businesses using fake invoices to manipulate tax filings.

It said Hilmarc’s made it appear that receipts issued by Unimaker Enterprises Inc. and Everpacific Inc., identified as “ghost companies,” were legitimate business transactions.