- EPPO obtained a freezing order of €28.8 million in a probe into a €40 million VAT fraud involving airpods in Italy
- The freezing order was issued against two perpetrators who were previously convicted and sentenced to six and four years of imprisonment
- Italian Financial Police froze €3.1 million in bank accounts of a company believed to be the main beneficiary of the fraud
- EPPO had already blocked €1.8 million earlier in the investigation and seized luxury watches belonging to the suspected main organizer of the fraud
- The investigation involves more than 50 defendants and at least €200 million worth of airpods were traded while evading VAT payment
- All persons involved are presumed innocent until proven guilty in Italian courts
- EPPO is responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes against the financial interests of the EU
Source: eppo.europa.eu
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.
