European prosecutors announced on Wednesday, November 26th the arrest of at least six people linked to a multi-million-euro tax fraud network operating across Italy and Croatia. Investigators also seized property, luxury cars, high-value jewellery and over one million euros in cash.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) said the scheme, tied to organised crime, involved creating shell companies to claim fraudulent VAT refunds on goods traded across EU countries. Authorities in Naples froze accounts of the ringleaders, while police in Croatia made arrests.
27 other individuals linked to the network face detention requests and bans on running companies. Europol estimates ‘carousel fraud’ like this costs the EU tens of billions of euros annually.
