A criminal group disrupted - 9 persons detained in Mazovia and Pomerania
Officers of the CBA Regional Office in Gdansk detained 9 persons suspected of fictitious economic trade in cooking oil and other fat products. The value of the VAT invoices issued exceeds PLN 63 million. The investigation is supervised by the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Szczecin.
Fictitious domestic and international trade
The findings of CBA officers indicate that from 1 January 2019 to 30 April 2020, an organised crime group was operating in the Mazowieckie, Dolnośląskie, Wielkopolskie and Pomorskie voivodeships, generating fictitious trade in cooking and technical oil and soybean meal. Identified economic entities operating as part of the criminal group issued blank VAT invoices, which were then used as the basis for settlements with tax offices and attempts to obtain an undue VAT refund of over PLN 11 million.
Carousel fraud and missing trader
As part of the investigation, it was established that the identified economic entities had issued unreliable VAT invoices with a total value exceeding PLN 63 million. The documents were used as part of a chain of carousel fraud transactions, Part of which were shell companies, also known as “missing traders”, i.e. entities that went into liquidation after carrying out a number of transactions.
Extorted subsidy
In the course of the investigation, CBA officers revealed that one of the companies operating within the criminal group obtained a grant of PLN 3.5 million from the Polish Development Fund. The grant had been awarded based on untruthful data. The grant funds were distributed against their intended use.
Prosecution at the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Szczecin
On Tuesday, 9 May 2023, officers of the CBA Regional Office in Gdańsk detained 8 persons and searched 11 locations in the Pomorskie and Mazowieckie Voivodeships. Another person was detained on Wednesday, 17 May 2023. As a result of the search of a total of 12 locations, accounting documentation and data carriers were secured.The detainees represent business entities operating as part of the criminal group. They were brought to the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Szczecin, where they faced charges.
The prosecutor applied non-custodial preventive measures against five suspects, while against the four remaining ones he submitted motions to the District Court for Szczecin - Right Bank and West for the application of a three-month remand in custody. The Court did not accept the prosecutor's motions. The Court's decisions were considered unjust and were appealed.
CBA Press Team
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A criminal group disrupted
