- EPPO arrested one suspect and carried out searches and seizures in a €5.8 million VAT fraud involving luxury cars.
- Six searches were conducted and 40 luxury cars worth €1.2 million, real estate, and €40,000 in cash were seized.
- The investigation, codenamed “Dutch Windmill,” began in September 2024.
- The total fraudulent turnover is estimated at over €30 million, with an estimated VAT damage of at least €5.8 million.
- The investigation focuses on a German car dealership selling used cars to Dutch car dealers who allegedly manipulated VAT rules.
- The Dutch car dealers falsely declared that the cars were previously owned by private individuals to avoid paying VAT.
- The German car dealer was aware of the misrepresentation and his originally VAT-exempt intra-community supplies should be retrospectively subject to German VAT.
- The investigation was supported by German tax investigation offices in Düsseldorf and Münster, and the Criminal Police Department in Münster.
- The EPPO is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union, 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.
