At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Milan (Italy), the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza) of Milan arrested four suspects and seized assets worth up to €97 million yesterday, in an investigation into a VAT fraud involving the sale of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services.

Eleven persons remain in pre-trial detention as of today, following dozens of searches conducted on 5 September as part of an investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Athens (Greece). The investigation targets a criminal organisation suspected of being involved in a €30 million VAT fraud and money-laundering scheme.

Three suspected ringleaders of an international criminal group were indicted yesterday at the Regional Court of Dusseldorf (Germany) for a €93 million VAT fraud, following an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Hamburg, code-named Goliath. The three were charged with criminal association and VAT fraud on a large scale. 

At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Venice (Italy), two individuals were arrested today in Italy, on suspicion of orchestrating an €8.8 million VAT fraud involving the trade of cleaning products and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza) of Verona also executed a freezing order, at the EPPO’s request, targeting bank accounts, real estate and other assets.

In an investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Lisbon (Portugal), code-named ‘Ambrosia’, 11 suspects were arrested today, believed to be operating a criminal network responsible for VAT fraud involving essential food products (including olive oil, cooking oil and sugar), with an estimated damage of €30 million. 

A suspected ringleader of an €85 million VAT fraud has been arrested in Nairobi (Kenya), after hiding from the authorities, following an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Hamburg (Germany), code-named Goliath.

At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Rome (Italy), seven individuals were arrested today in Italy, on suspicion of orchestrating an €18 million VAT fraud involving the trade of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza) of Rome and Foggia also executed a freezing order, at the EPPO’s request, targeting bank accounts, real estate and other assets.

An investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Brussels (Belgium), code-named ‘Kingdom’, has led to the arrest of seven suspects in the Netherlands, in a probe into a €13 million VAT fraud.

At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Rome and Turin (Italy), the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza) of Rome are currently arresting eleven suspects and seizing assets worth up to €25 million, in an investigation into a VAT fraud involving the sale of electronic goods.

A coordinated sting by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Naples, Bologna and Rome (Italy) today dismantled a criminal gang alleged to have imported fuel to the Italian market while systematically evading VAT. The investigation, code-named ‘Fuel family’, has led to judicial measures against eight individuals, including the suspected ringleaders.