07:28 22 June 2013
Famous fashion designers Dolce and Gabbana were convicted of tax evasion in Italy and were sentenced to 20 months in jail. The duo was accused of not paying Italian authorities £350million.
A judge in Milan ruled that the fashion designers used a holding company in Luxembourg to avoid Italy’s corporation taxes for years.
The judge added that the duo did this in order to avoid declaring taxes on royalties of around £833million. In April, the designers and their accountant were already fined £340million in related case.
The investigation by the Italian authorities began six years ago as part of the government initiative to crack down on tax avoidance. They were initially cleared at a previous trial in 2011 however, Italy’s highest court overturned the ruling.