- EPPO conducted an operation against criminal groups suspected of €100 million VAT fraud.
- The fraud involved cross-border schemes with smartphones and electronic devices.
- Four arrests were made, three in Germany and one in France.
- Around 90 searches were conducted in five countries: France, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, and the Netherlands.
- Over 300 tax and police investigators participated in the operation.
- Seizing orders of over €37 million were executed, including luxury vehicles, goods, bank accounts, cash, and electronic devices.
- Boxes meant to contain smartphones were found filled with stones to simulate shipping.
- The operation was named Supernova and targeted VAT fraud exploiting EU cross-border transaction rules.
- All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
- EPPO is responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes against EU financial interests.
- Key partners included Europol and various national authorities from Germany, France, Hungary, Lithuania, and the Netherlands.
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.
