Summary
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On 22 July 2026, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Turin obtained the conviction of ten defendants by the Tribunal of Nola in a VAT fraud case involving the trade of plastics products. They were found guilty of VAT fraud, the use and issuance of false invoices, and related tax crimes. Prison sentences range from three years and four months to four years and six months, and remain subject to appeal. [eppo.europa.eu]
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The investigation uncovered a sophisticated scheme operating between 2018 and 2023 through a network of shell companies trading industrial plastics products. The scheme relied on invoices for non-existent transactions worth approximately €500 million, producing an estimated VAT loss of around €100 million. Intermediary companies systematically failed to meet their VAT obligations while concealing the true flow of goods and funds through a chain of fictitious transactions across multiple jurisdictions. [eppo.europa.eu]
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The court ordered confiscation of assets already seized—cash, financial assets and luxury goods worth over €1.1 million—plus further confiscation orders against the convicted individuals and companies for the proceeds. Supported by Europol and carried out by Turin’s Guardia di Finanza, the probe led in March 2025 to 13 arrests and asset seizures in Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Latvia and Slovakia. Proceedings against two additional defendants remain ongoing before the Tribunal of Nola. [eppo.europa.eu], [eunews.it]
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