- 13 arrests made in Italy for a €100 million VAT fraud investigation involving plastics trade
- Italian Financial Police executed the operation with support from Europol
- Investigation revealed a criminal network with international links based in Campania, Italy
- Law enforcement in Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, and Slovakia were involved
- Around 100 officers conducted arrests and searches in various Italian regions
- Fraud involved issuing fake invoices for non-existent transactions totaling €500 million
- Network of shell companies used to evade VAT and obscure financial flows
- Suspects sold products below market value, harming legitimate businesses
- 13 individuals face precautionary measures, with six in pre-trial detention and seven under house arrest
- Financial assets and property of 15 individuals and 13 companies seized
- 52 individuals under investigation for various crimes related to the fraud
- Investigation aims to identify more links and freeze additional assets
- All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court
- EPPO is responsible for prosecuting crimes against EU financial interests
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.
