- Five people were convicted in Germany for VAT fraud amounting to millions
- The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) led an investigation in Berlin, resulting in convictions for serious VAT fraud, document forgery, and complicity in tax fraud
- The criminal activities involved luxury cars and medical face masks, causing approximately 52 million euros in damages
- The defendants operated a complex network exchanging luxury cars and face masks using fake companies in multiple countries
- Three defendants were sentenced for VAT fraud and document forgery, with two receiving 10-year prison terms and one receiving an 8-year and 6-month sentence
- The court also issued seizure orders totaling 27.4 million euros and against six third parties who received assets from the crimes
- EPPO secured assets including bank accounts, properties in Germany and France, cryptocurrencies, and luxury items worth around 6.5 million euros
- Earlier convictions included a former notary for forgery and false notarizations, and the spouse of a defendant for money laundering
- The court found overwhelming evidence against the defendants after a nine-month trial, issuing the verdict in less than a year from the start of the case
Source: taxheaven.gr
Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.
