Construction industry bosses will appear at Birmingham Crown Court

Sixteen construction industry bosses have today been charged with conspiring to steal 拢6m through a tax fraud.

The bosses were arrested in September 2009 after dawn raids by HMRC criminal investigation officers in the West Midlands, Staffordshire, London and Manchester.

During the arrests, cash totalling 拢130,004 was seized - 拢91,600 from nine sites in the West Midlands and 拢38,444 from two sites in the Manchester area. A further 拢2,000 in dollars and euros were seized.

In addition paperwork including bank accounts and computers, class-A drugs and associated equipment 鈥� scales and dealer apparatus - were also seized in the West Midlands.

Over 40 search warrants were executed at residential and business premises in the West Midlands, Staffordshire, Nottingham, London and Manchester.

Adrian Farley, assistant director of criminal investigation for HMRC, said: 鈥淭oday sixteen people have been charged linked to what we believe is a fraud resulting in over 拢6m being stolen from public funds.

鈥淲e are committed to bringing such cases to the courts and depriving those involved of the proceeds of their crime.鈥�

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