- The suspected leader of a large cross-border VAT fraud and money laundering scheme will face trial in Latvia.
- The scheme involved defrauding the EU and national budgets of several countries of 297 million euros.
- The investigation, named Admiral 2.0, targeted a criminal group involved in VAT evasion through electronics sales.
- The defendant has been in pre-trial detention since November 2024 and faces up to 10 years for tax evasion and 12 years for money laundering.
- Three additional suspects are involved in a related 5 million euro fraud case.
- The EPPO received strong support from Latvian authorities and international partners.
- The criminal network may have also laundered money from drug trafficking, cybercrime, and investment fraud.
- Admiral 2.0 follows the original Admiral investigation, which uncovered 2.9 billion euros in damages across more than 30 countries.
Source: occrp.org
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.
