Due to the sheer size of the trail and the number of defendants and lawyers, it is taking place in a Europarque pavilion.

The defendants (98 people aged between 28 and 86 and 47 companies) are charged with hundreds of crimes of tax fraud. Three of the defendants are also charged with crimes relating to computer fraud. Two of the defendants are being held in custody in relation to another case.

At issue is a scheme of false invoices that is believed to have taken place over a period of six years, between 2010 and 2016, with the aim of obtaining undue tax advantages in terms of VAT and IRC, cancelling or reducing the amount of tax to be delivered to the State.

Among the defendants are several businessmen from the cork sector, who allegedly bought the fictitious invoices in exchange for pecuniary rewards, and several individuals accused of having sold the invoices issued in the name of shell firms and without real activity.

The MP requested that the sum of €25.7 million, corresponding to the alleged assets obtained by the defendants with the commission of the crime, be declared as a loss to the State.